The sun never sets.

In order to retreat smoothly, the US commander ordered all torpedoes to be released, hoping to stop the pursuit of the "Kanochi" and other warships. The "torpedo attack tactic" achieved a certain effect, but several injured cruisers and destroyers still became the prey of the "Kanochi". Kataoka Shichiro led the Second Fleet to the vicinity of the main force of the US Expeditionary Fleet. When he could clearly see the flags on the US battleships, he led the other cruisers to retreat to the northwest.

The Second Fleet did not withdraw from the battlefield, but continued to deal with the main US fleet, which created excellent conditions for the First Fleet to seize the "T" position.

"This is the value of a high-speed battleship!"

Ying rushed over

On the American cruiser, naval officers exchanged opinions. During the South China Sea naval battle, the East Asian Combined Fleet used a faster speed to gain an advantage on the battlefield, and now used the same trick to trick the American Expeditionary Fleet. John Arbuthnot Fisher strongly agreed with the concept of "high-speed battleship" and "battlecruiser". His idea was more radical. He planned to weaken the armor of the "battlecruiser" to the same level as the light cruiser in order to achieve a faster speed. This idea was so radical that even the British Royal Navy, which always advocated firepower and speed, could not accept it.

The "Hanoi" was not a "battlecruiser" in the true sense. Its armor protection level was at the same level as that of the German dreadnought. It completely ignored the bombardment of the US vanguard fleet and was like a fish in water in the nearly one-hour naval battle, almost single-handedly defeating the US vanguard fleet.

George Dewey saw the Hanoi killing people in the telescope. His heart was bleeding when he saw his own light warships being slaughtered. Previously, in North America and the Philippines, the US Navy had always beaten all those who refused to obey. The battle he was most proud of was in Cavite, where the US Navy completely annihilated the Spanish naval fleet without losing a single person. Dewey was promoted to the rank of special admiral for this. Now the situation is reversed. The hateful East Asians are killing people without restraint, and the US Navy has no way to stop them.

But the outpost only opened the curtain of the decisive battle. Dewey no longer cared about the miserable vanguard fleet. He thought viciously: The real battle has just begun!

The fighting of the "Kawachi" gained the East Asia Combined Fleet the first-mover advantage. The First Fleet led by Akiyama Saneyuki successfully seized the "T" position and began to concentrate firepower on the US dreadnought "South Carolina". The Third Fleet and other fleets also attacked their assigned targets on the vast sea.

The most intense confrontation took place between the First Fleet led by Akiyama Saneyuki and the battleship formation led by Dewey. Both sides were real battleships, and the 305mm main guns represented the strongest firepower of this era. The "South Carolina" showed the value of a dreadnought. Although it was concentrated by the First Fleet of the Combined Fleet, after several rounds of shelling, the "South Carolina" did not lose its combat effectiveness. Only one turret was hit by a 305mm armor-piercing shell and failed. Several other 280mm shells killed and injured some American sailors, but failed to cause substantial damage to the dreadnought.

Seeing that the 280mm shells could not penetrate the armor of the "South Carolina", Akiyama Saneyuki reallocated the firing targets. Several battleships equipped with 305mm main guns continued to fire at the "South Carolina", while other battleships concentrated on attacking other US battleships in twos and threes.

While the battleships were fighting, the cruisers and destroyers also started fighting. But everyone knew that the decisive battle between the battleships was the core of the battle. Whichever side's battleship formation bombarded the other side first would gain the advantage.

The South Carolina lived up to its name as a "dreadnought" and was not at all inferior to the other three. Although the speed of this ship was not up to date and the armor of this ship was not that thick, in terms of firepower projection, the South Carolina was at the top level of the era.

Chapter 468: The Vast Ocean is a Casino

“Boom!” “Boom!”

"boom!"

The battleship was firing fiercely, its huge body shaking constantly. Suddenly, a soldier rushed in and reported loudly: "The Fuji was hit again, the hull was broken, and only two turrets can continue to fire!"

"Admiral, call back the Hanoi. Only a dreadnought can fight a dreadnought!"

"Yes, General, we can't continue fighting like this!"

Akiyama Saneyuki grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself, and said without raising his head: "The Hanoi is dealing with the enemy's Virginia, we must hold on!"

The reconnaissance a few days ago clarified the formation of the US expeditionary fleet, and Akiyama Saneyuki made targeted deployments. He used the heavy and light cruisers of the Third Fleet to hold back the enemy's second battleship formation, and used several old battleships to deal with the strongest American "South Carolina", creating the best combat environment for the "Hanoi". This was a plan made before the war.

"But our casualties are heavy!"

"We need to deal with the enemy's dreadnought first!"

"us........."

As he was speaking, the warship suddenly shook, and a violent explosion sounded on the side. The fireball expanded and rushed up to a height of more than ten meters. Metal fragments swept across the deck. Akiyama Shinji stumbled and fell to the ground. When he got up dazed, his forehead was covered with blood.

"The general is injured! The medical soldier..."

"I'm fine!" Akiyama Saneyuki shouted, "Report the damage!"

The medical soldier rushed in and simply treated the wound on Akiyama Shinji's head. Then a soldier came in to report, "The middle of the ship was hit by a bullet, slightly damaged, and the speed dropped to 20 knots!"

"It's okay, it just reduced the speed a little."

Akiyama Saneyuki pushed the medic aside and walked to the table. An officer had already cleaned up the table. He looked at the rearranged positions of the warships. Now the battleship formations of both sides have moved from the Pacific Ocean to the Leyte Gulf. Under the command of Akiyama Saneyuki, the First Fleet still occupies the "T" position with its higher speed.

Theoretically, the American battleship fleet should have been routed with this formation, but because of the presence of the "South Carolina", the casualties on both sides were almost the same.

"Sir, we have entered the Leyte Gulf!"

"Enemy ships have blocked the San Bernardino Strait!"

Akiyama Saneyuki calmly ordered, "Continue to retreat to the southwest!"

"But...but this way we won't be able to maintain our advantage in formation!"

"Now is the time for a fight to the death. There is no need to maintain formation!"

Akiyama Saneyuki looked at the Leyte Gulf and the surrounding straits on the map, but his tone remained calm, "Send a signal to have the 4th and 5th destroyer squadrons, as well as the 9th torpedo boat squadron, dispatch and aim at the South Carolina to launch torpedoes!"

"Hai!"

Soon after the order was issued, the First Fleet disbanded its column formation and began to fight head-on with the American battleships that were chasing them. The other American battleships were fine, but the South Carolina was really tough and strong. After being hit by more than a dozen shells, the ship was still able to continue fighting with black smoke everywhere. The armor on the South Carolina was not as thick as the Hanoi, but it was definitely much stronger than the pre-dreadnought. Only the 305mm main gun could cause real damage to it, and the 280mm cannon had to be lucky to penetrate the heavy armor on the South Carolina.

"boom!"

Akiyama Saneyuki fell to the ground again, and the officers and sailors around him were in the same state of disarray. The firestorm swept through the combat command room, and screams rang out immediately.

"Go and save General Akiyama!"

"Ah, the general is injured!"

"How to do?"

“I’m fine!” Akiyama Masayuki’s head and body were covered in blood, but most of it was from other people. He got up from the ground, looking pale, and shouted, “Aim at Nanka and keep firing! We’re going to sink it!”

The First Fleet was still fighting. A few minutes later, the enemy ship "Pennsylvania" was hit again and caught fire. Then there was another huge explosion, which seemed to have detonated the ammunition depot on the ship. Before Akiyama Saneyuki could be happy, he witnessed with his own eyes that the "Fuji" was hit by the enemy battleships and almost completely lost power.

"Sir, the Fuji is sinking!"

"I saw it!"

Akiyama Saneyuki clenched his fists, "Abandon the Fuji immediately!"

"This...Sir, that's the Fuji!"

The Fuji is a meritorious warship of the Japanese Navy. It made great achievements in the Battle of the South China Sea and has been modernized. Just replacing the main gun on the ship with the latest 305mm cannon cost more than one million yen. How can we just give it up?

"Maybe we can still rescue him..."

"This is a war! We are fighting an enemy that is much stronger than us! We can't expect to win every time without any damage!"

The Fuji was only the first battleship to be sunk, and this was only the beginning, not the end. After the U.S. battleship formation entered the Leyte Gulf, the destroyers and torpedo boats of the East Asia Combined Fleet rushed out from various hidden locations and launched "powerful Type 93 oxygen torpedoes" at the U.S. battleships.

The first wave of sixteen torpedoes fanned out and pierced the US battleship formation quickly. Although the order was to aim at the "South Carolina", the destroyer fleet and the torpedo boat fleet could not perfectly execute the order on the complex battlefield. For the battleship, the torpedo boat was killed one by one, and the destroyer was not much better. Moreover, the US battleship formation was not fighting alone, and there were many light warships on the side.

The "powerful Type 93 oxygen torpedo" had extraordinary power at close range. The first wave of attack sank a destroyer and a light cruiser. The stern of the "Georgia" was hit by a torpedo, and a large hole more than two meters wide was immediately opened. The battleship tilted to the right, and the rudder seemed to have problems. It did not move with the fleet, but crashed towards the land.

The "torpedo attack tactic" was a huge success. The second wave of attacks was even more successful than the first, but the Combined Fleet also paid a heavy price. The 9th Torpedo Boat Squadron was completely wiped out, and the 4th Destroyer Squadron lost half of its warships. The US military's torpedo technology was not very good, and it posed little threat to the Combined Fleet, but the large-caliber artillery on the battleships and heavy cruisers was extremely powerful. After releasing the torpedoes, the destroyer fleet could only avoid those heavy warships. With their small water pipes, they could not cause effective damage to the heavy warships.

It was 54: p.m., and after two waves of torpedo attacks, the South Carolina was staggering, with only one turret still firing normally. It no longer had the courage to fight three ships alone. The Pennsylvania was first hit by a torpedo, losing half of its power, and then it was hit by two more torpedoes and more than a dozen large-caliber shells, and sank into the sea with flames twelve minutes later.

The fierce battle lasted until 5:30 p.m., and the U.S. First Battleship Division had lost half of its battleships. The East Asia Combined Fleet also had two battleships sunk, and two battleships turned into burning torches on the sea. In addition, the light battleships were also seriously damaged. The sea surface of Leyte Gulf was filled with warships that were either emitting flames or thick smoke, as if the entire sea was on fire.

Chapter 469: Fire the Cannon and Blast His Mother

Night had fallen, but the Leyte Gulf was still burning. The battleship fleet of the East Asia Combined Fleet, the First Fleet, had lost 2/3 of its combat effectiveness, with 4 battleships either sunk or severely damaged. The fire on the flagship "Asahi" burned for more than half an hour before it was extinguished. The US Expeditionary Fleet was not much better, they sank more battleships, but the tonnage sunk was even greater.

In Leyte Gulf alone, the US Navy lost five battleships. In the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Virginia, Missouri and Illinois were sunk, and the Ohio and Kentucky withdrew from the battlefield with thick smoke. The "Hanoi" killed many people on the battlefield and suppressed the US Navy's battleship formation for a time. The "South Carolina" could fight three pre-dreadnoughts at once, while the "Hanoi" could fight four and five at once. The heavy armor, accurate and fierce firepower, and a quarter faster speed made the "Hanoi" the undisputed king on the battlefield.

The first battleship sunk by the "Kanoi" was the "Missouri". The construction of the Missouri began in 1900 and it was launched in 1903. Even among pre-dreadnought battleships, it was a backward model. Its armor and firepower were not good, but its speed was acceptable, so it was the first to be targeted. Vice Admiral Shichiro Kataoka relied on the new armor of the "Kanoi" and rushed to a distance of 7 kilometers under the heavy artillery fire, destroying the "Missouri" with 6 rounds of artillery fire.

After killing the Missouri, the Hanoi hit the Virginia and Illinois in succession. This newest dreadnought had an absolute advantage in armor, speed, and firepower, and it was simply killing like crazy. After the war, the Hanoi was called "as terrible as a demon" by the US Navy.

Even the navies of various countries watching the battle were dumbfounded. They knew that dreadnoughts had great advantages over pre-dreadnoughts, but they did not expect the advantages to be so great. The "Hanoi" was unrivaled on the battlefield, like a heavily armored knight beating infantry. In addition, the torpedoes of the East Asian Combined Fleet also left a deep impression on the watching countries. On the one hand, the "Lance Torpedo" (the powerful Type 93 oxygen torpedo) was amazingly powerful and had a range far exceeding that of British and German torpedoes. On the other hand, the "Lance Torpedo" was a threat to their own people.

After the armored cruiser "Tsukuba" was hit by the "Louisiana", the torpedo that was ready to be launched on the battleship was detonated. The violent explosion blew off a turret on the ship and caused the "Tsukuba" to lose half of its power. The "Lance Torpedo" is a huge threat to both the enemy and itself.

At night, the battleships that were severely damaged gradually withdrew from the battlefield, but the fighting did not stop. The cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines of the East Asia Combined Fleet closed the distance in the night, and then launched torpedoes in the chaos. The darkness covered the traces of the torpedoes, and huge fireballs rose into the sky from time to time amid the rumbling of the cannons.

The warships of various countries watching the battle did not dare to stay on the edge of the battlefield, lest they be mistaken for enemies by the two sides who were so angry about killing each other. In such a chaotic battlefield, misjudgment was very likely to happen. Even the battleships could not withstand the long spear torpedoes of the United Fleet - the battleships of the pre-dreadnought era were also battleships - and the cruisers and destroyers who were just there to watch the battle could not withstand it even more. As long as they were hit by one, even if they did not sink into the sea, they would be severely damaged.

The naval battle continued from 8:30 pm to 1 am. Fog rose on the sea, and the US fleet and the East Asia Combined Fleet lost contact, and the battle stopped temporarily. But this was not the end, just a halftime break.

When light warships, torpedo boats and submarines launched an attack on the US expeditionary fleet, Akiyama Saneyuki changed the flagship, replacing the "Asahi" which was hit by more than ten shells with the "Kawachi", reorganized the main battleships, and incorporated the heavy warships that were still combat-capable into the First Fleet, which he commanded personally.

At 3:10 a.m., the "Kanochi" received a telegram from a submarine that the U.S. flagship "South Carolina" was found near the Surigao Strait. Akiyama Saneyuki immediately ordered the First Fleet to rush to the target sea area. At 4:17 a.m., the main fleets of both sides encountered each other again. Due to the heavy fog and darkness, the "Kanochi" approached to a distance of 5000 meters before discovering the traces of the enemy fleet. Similarly, the U.S. fleet also discovered the arrival of the Combined Fleet at this distance.

At such a close distance, even the "Hanoi" could not withstand the bombardment of the 305mm cannon. Under the illumination of the searchlight, the huge warship was exposed. The "Hanoi" was hit by 7 large-caliber shells and a torpedo, and large holes were blown open on the hull one after another. Fortunately, the watertight compartments were completely closed and isolated. The water inflow into several compartments did not cause fatal damage, but only reduced the speed of this "devil-like warship" by 3 knots.

The battle had been going on since yesterday afternoon, and the two dreadnoughts finally met face to face. The naval officers and soldiers on both sides fired desperately. The Hanoi had two turrets left in normal use, while the South Carolina had only one left. The Hanoi was on fire everywhere, and the South Carolina was hit even more miserably. The armor that the South Carolina was proud of could not withstand the bombardment of the Hanoi. There was a problem with its power room. After emergency repairs, the speed was barely restored to 9 knots, facing the dilemma of being unable to fight and unable to escape.

While the battleships were bombarding each other, the torpedo boats and destroyers of the Combined Fleet

The "powerful Type 93 oxygen torpedo" played a significant role in the narrow strait.

At dawn, the South Carolina, with numerous wounds, slowly sank in despair and unwillingness. Admiral George Dewey was killed in the explosion, and his body was not found. Eighty to ninety percent of the sailors on the ship were killed or wounded, leaving less than twenty people to leave the sinking South Carolina by boat.

This was the largest naval battle in history, the first time that dreadnoughts were involved in actual combat on the battlefield, the first confrontation between dreadnoughts, and the first time a dreadnought was sunk in battle.

The US Navy soldiers on the South Carolina fought bravely. They refused Akiyama Saneyuki's call for surrender and fought to the last moment. All the battleships of the US Navy's First Battleship Division sank in Leyte Gulf. Their final counterattack was also effective. The battleship Mikasa was sunk and the battleship Nissin was severely damaged.

Judging from the number and tonnage of the remaining warships, the US Navy Expeditionary Fleet still had the upper hand, but they were broken in the twelve-hour naval battle. When the "Hanoi" appeared in front of the expeditionary fleet again, many warships simply surrendered when they saw that they could not escape. The main gun of the "Hanoi" only had one turret that could fire normally, but the US Navy did not know it.

The huge fleet that had come with such great fanfare had been beaten to pieces. The nearest supply port was six or seven thousand kilometers away. In addition, with the death of Admiral Dewey, the fleet lost unified command. Most of the warships turned around and fled, and were captured at sea because of exhaustion of power.

Chapter 470: Pursuing the Enemy with All Your Remaining Courage

The brutal battle in Leyte Gulf and its surrounding waters shocked the whole world. The Times described the brutality of the naval battle in this sentence: "...within 12 hours, the world's third and fourth fleets ceased to exist, and a naval power vacuum appeared in the entire Pacific Ocean..."

This was the best news for the British. The world's third and fourth navies fought each other to a loss, and the weight of the British Royal Navy in the world became greater. It became stronger without doing anything, which was simply a win. The "Two Power Act" required the British Royal Navy to defeat the world's second and third naval fleets at the same time. After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the British could claim that the "Two Power Act" was favorably guaranteed.

Of course, things were not as bad as the British said. Not all the warships were sunk. The US Navy and the East Asian Alliance only lost most of their capital ships, and many light warships were still preserved. In the following days, the East Asian Combined Fleet captured the battleships "Louisiana" and "Minnesota", as well as the munitions ship "Kulgoa", the supply ship "Yankton", the munitions ship "Glacier", the hospital ship "Relief", the repair ship "Black Panther" and a large number of light warships.

The US Navy suffered a fatal blow, and the expeditionary fleet was almost wiped out. The world's third largest navy lost all its battleships, but the East Asia Combined Fleet still retained a certain strength. As long as it took more than a year to repair those badly damaged battleships, the East Asia Combined Fleet would still have some combat effectiveness. The most important thing was that the "Hanoi" battleship did not sink. This dreadnought alone was equivalent to four pre-dreadnoughts.

However, even so, the East Asian Combined Fleet fell from fourth to sixth place in the world's navies, behind Britain, Germany, Italy, Russia and France. If it weren't for the "Hanoi", the Combined Fleet's ranking would even fall behind the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

After the French were defeated in the South China Sea, they learned from their mistakes and began to build their own dreadnoughts, which would restore the French Navy's voice in the Mediterranean. Even if they gave up the sea power in the Atlantic, France still needed to maintain a certain naval power, otherwise, France's colonies in Africa might not be able to be preserved. Although this would cause dissatisfaction among the British, France could not put all its hopes on Britain.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf proved the great role of dreadnoughts in modern naval warfare and the usefulness of "battlecruisers". Minister of the Navy Fisher once again advocated the importance of "speed" in naval warfare, but many people disagreed. Although the "Hanoi" took advantage of its high speed, it was hit by more than a dozen large-caliber shells. If it were not for its thick armor, it would have been sunk long ago. If the "battlecruisers" were really built according to the Minister of the Navy's idea, the East Asian Combined Fleet would not have won the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Some people saw the advantage of speed, some saw the survivability brought by thick armor, some saw that the power of 305mm cannon was still insufficient, and some saw the role of "powerful Type oxygen torpedo" in naval battles. The same thing, viewed from different angles, can lead to different results.

After the battle with the US Navy's expeditionary fleet, Lin Yongchang did not sleep the entire night. He and several other naval generals stayed in the command center and waited for an entire night. They only felt relieved after hearing that the American dreadnought "South Carolina" had been sunk.

Lin Yongchang couldn't help but be nervous. If the naval battle failed, the entire country's policy would have to change. The best result would be like the South China Sea naval battle, where the US expeditionary fleet was completely annihilated without losing a battleship. The worst result would be the opposite, where the main force of the combined fleet was completely annihilated, and the US

The expeditionary fleet was not seriously injured. The current situation was between the best and the worst. The result of the battle could only be considered a draw, but the US expeditionary fleet could only move towards the base thousands of kilometers away, except for forcing its way into the port of Manila. Those severely damaged warships could not be repaired in the Philippines, nor could they support themselves and return to the base thousands of kilometers away.

The Combined Fleet was able to use the naval bases in Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Qingdao, Lushun and the Japanese archipelago nearby. The difference in distance was the key to the Combined Fleet's victory. If the battle took place in the eastern Pacific, the situation would be completely different. Apart from anything else, the Combined Fleet's torpedo boats and submarines could not join the battle sequence, and the total tonnage of the US Navy fleet could be increased by 100,000 tons.

Akiyama Saneyuki still believed that luck was on his side, which led to his victory in the naval battle. However, no matter what the factors were, victory is victory and defeat is defeat. After winning the naval battle, Akiyama Saneyuki immediately sent a telegram to the United Nations Command, requesting the launch of the second phase of the battle plan - the liberation of Hawaii.

Some light warships of the US Navy escaped, but that didn't matter. The US now had no capital ships. There had never been such a favorable opportunity before, and there might never be a better opportunity in the future. There were still several battleships on the US slipway. In just five months, the US Navy would get a brand new dreadnought, and in eight months the number of dreadnoughts would increase to two.

"...We must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to repair the Hanoi as soon as possible..." As long as the Hanoi regains its combat effectiveness, it will be able to forcibly land on Oahu and then occupy... and liberate the entire Hawaii.

Lin Yongchang agreed to the request for the second phase of the battle plan and urgently issued a new round of national debt to speed up the repair of the fleet and as military expenses for expanding the war. In the naval bases in Sasebo, Lushun and Qingdao, workers used three shifts to carry out emergency repairs on the "Hanoi" and other warships. After the news of the victory in Leyte Gulf spread, East Asian countries held grand celebration parades, defeating the world's first industrial power, proving once again that Asians are not inferior to white people, and the so-called "white supremacy" is completely bankrupt.

The workers were so enthusiastic that many of them volunteered to stay and work overtime. Even after being rejected, many people gathered around the slipway to watch. The repair work that was supposed to take four months was completed in just one month. The three destroyed turrets were replaced with new cannons, and the parts that were hit on the ship were replaced with new parts and repainted.

Except for the Hanoi, the repairs of other battleships were also much faster than normal. By mid-December, the old battleships were still on the slipway, and some of the damaged battleships had not been repaired, but the Combined Fleet had reassembled more than 20 battleships. Although its strength was less than one-third of that before the war, the situation of the US Navy was even worse. There was nothing to say, so they just went straight to Hawaii.

I heard that the Americans are transporting troops to Hawaii. If we wait any longer, they might turn that place into a permanent fortress.

Chapter 471 Reaction

In a war against the United States, the battle at sea is the key, and the land is only a secondary battlefield. The United States cannot send hundreds of thousands of troops to the Far East to fight, and the East Asian Alliance cannot deploy hundreds of thousands of troops to North America. The victory or defeat of both sides depends on the confrontation at sea. Whichever side has the advantage in navy will win.

On the second day of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the UN forces launched a major counterattack on Luzon Island. Pershing was a famous American general, but he could not make a living without rice. He could not get more troops and ammunition, and it was impossible for him to defeat the enemy who was several times his number. Unless the enemy was an uncivilized native who still used cold weapons.

Because the UN forces had already occupied the Bataan Peninsula, the US troops had nowhere to retreat and could only retreat back to Manila after being defeated. The European powers were very disgusted with the name "UN Forces" that Chairman Lin came up with. The UN did not exist, so where did the UN Forces come from? Lin Yongchang didn't care about those people. If the monks could touch them, why couldn't I? The UN forces fought against the American soldiers. Such an interesting drama, but the European powers could not appreciate it!

The UN troops captured cities and towns along the way, and after besieging the US troops in Manila, they did not force an attack, but persuaded them to surrender. The US military does not have the tradition of fighting to the last man. Many people join the army just to make a living. Risking their lives for a few hundred dollars a month? It's not worth it.

But unexpectedly, MacArthur refused to surrender. Well, that's understandable. The U.S. military killed so many people in the Philippine Islands. How could the Filipinos spare them? In previous battles, the Philippine People's Army and the U.S. military would torture prisoners of war in very bloody and cruel ways after capturing them. Beheading and skinning were not once or twice.

The US military refused to surrender. Xu Wuji was a little surprised, but only a little. The US Navy was already finished, and the remaining tens of thousands of army troops were surrounded. Could they still turn the tables? As long as the siege lasted a few more months, when the people in the city had eaten up all the food, they would have to surrender even if they didn't want to. If people are very hungry, any bottom line will be broken.

However, the Central Military Commission issued an order to the General Staff, asking Xu Wuji to resolve the battle of Manila within a month.

Xu Wuji did not ask the reason. Since the central government had issued such an order, there must be a reason for it. He just focused on the war.

The Military Commission gave them one month, which was plenty of time. Xu Wuji brought in 150mm howitzers and several warships, and used his superiority in manpower and firepower to gnaw at the U.S. defenses and consume their ammunition. The U.S. troops trapped in Manila not only lacked food, but also ammunition. Without enough shells, the U.S. military's combat effectiveness plummeted. After only four days, the UN forces had blown several holes in the walls of Manila.

At this point, the Americans could no longer hold out. They still had enough food to last a month, but they had run out of shells. In the previous mopping-up operations and large-scale attacks, Pershing consumed too much ammunition, so the ammunition reserves in the city were quickly used up. However, the US military chose to surrender to the Chinese. At least the Chinese would conduct a trial. If they did not commit war crimes or their crimes were not punishable by death, they would have a chance to return to the United States alive. If Congress could happily give them money, the process would be even faster. If they fell into the hands of the Filipinos, none of the tens of thousands of Americans in the city would survive.

The comrades of the People's Party of the Philippines initially insisted on killing all the American soldiers and other Americans, but under the persuasion of the Chinese comrades, they finally changed their position and expressed their willingness to conduct a trial instead of killing them all. It was not because the comrades of the People's Party of the Philippines suddenly became more conscious, but because the Chinese helped them to settle an account. During the war years, China, Japan and other countries in the East Asian alliance provided free assistance to the Philippines, but after the war, the Filipinos had to pay out of their own pockets to rebuild their homes. Those American prisoners of war could be exchanged for a lot of money, which could greatly alleviate the economic difficulties of the Philippine government.

Even so, there are still a large number of Filipinos who would rather kill all the Americans. Some of them think that China will not ignore them in private conversations. If they can't survive, can the Chinese government really watch them die?

As the commander-in-chief of the United Nations forces, Xu Wuji heard some rumors that the political commissars were not only concerned with the ideological problems of the soldiers, but also responsible for many other things, such as the economic construction of the Philippines, as well as religious issues and national independence. The Philippines is just a geographical term, not a unified nation. It was the long colonial rule of the Spanish in the Philippines that brought the Philippines together. When the war is over, the Philippines will definitely be turbulent because of ethnicity and religion. At that time, they will be divided into a piece of land and let them live according to their own preferences.