As the minutes ticked by, the war became more and more intense, and the smile on Admiral Valkenhein's face was long gone, replaced by a sad face.

The battle began at 10 o'clock in the morning and lasted until 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and it was just a matter of croaking with hunger, and the key was that the enemy would not retreat from the battle.

Because of the lack of training and the impressive hit rate, while fighting, the Japanese kept closing the distance and trying to engage them in hand-to-hand combat.

After the warship suffered heavy damage, the first reaction of the Japanese was not to leave the battlefield, but to speed up, wanting to "crash" into it and die together.

The Japanese went crazy, and the officers and men of the Spanish fleet were still normal. After the warship suffered heavy damage, it chose to leave the battlefield as soon as possible.

It stands to reason that these heavily damaged warships can no longer pose a threat, but the Japanese still hold on to it.

The capital ship is going to have a decisive battle, and there is no time to beat the water dogs, but it is okay to stay in the rear and watch the lively sail battleship.

As soon as the Spanish warships left the battlefield, the Japanese sail fleet cannon fodder swarmed up. Originally, the guns of the sail battleships were limited in power, and they could not help the ironclads, but this did not include the injured ironclads.

The Japanese were willing to take human lives to fill up, sacrificing a few sail battleships, and were always able to take away a seriously wounded ironclad ship.

In addition to these normal attacks, the Japanese also had a suicide attack ship that was filled with explosives and detonated when it rushed up. They were forced to divide their firepower against these small boats.

This kind of life-for-life style of play can be said to be the original invention of the Japanese Navy, and before that, it was not said that it was encountered, and I had never even heard of it.

Encountering such a group of crazy people will give normal people a headache. Admiral Valkenhain was no exception, his original contempt was long gone, and now there was a deep fear left.

"It was reported that the battleship Madrid was shot, and the ship leaked and is being repaired. The captain of the ship, Rear Admiral Alfondas, was killed, and now Colonel Winter is taking over! ”

Another bad news came, Valkenhein's heart sank, and he still said indifferently: "Got it! ”

At this time, the two sides are fighting for resilience. The Spanish fleet suffered heavy losses, and the Japanese fleet on the opposite side suffered even more heavy casualties.

The gap in the quality of warships and the quality of officers and men is doomed to a river of blood if we rely only on quantity to make up for it.

For the Spanish fleet, the most important thing at the moment was to defeat the enemy's madness, otherwise the subsequent war would be a disaster.

……

With a loud bang, the "Tokyo," which was unfortunately shot, shook violently, and Senior General Ito, who was commanding the operation, sat on the ground.

Ignoring the pain of being fallen, Ito Yuheng hurriedly ordered: "Send someone to repair the warship quickly!" ”

Soon, a young officer ran over in a panic: "Your Excellency, the Tokyo is seriously damaged, and it must be pulled back to the shipyard for repairs immediately, otherwise it will be dangerous." ”

There is no way, the thin-skinned warships of the British, just carelessly. After a few shots, it was badly damaged. In contrast, the warships built by the French on the opposite side were much more resistant to beating.

Of course, this has a direct relationship with the time of construction. The "Tokyo" was born more than ten years earlier than the "Madrid" on the other side. If it could not be surpassed in performance, the French would not have the ability to challenge Britain's maritime supremacy back then.

After receiving this bad news, General Ito, who has always been calm and calm, couldn't hold his breath. When other warships sank, he could accept it. But the "Tokyo" is different, not only the flagship of the Japanese Navy, but also their only two "former dreadnoughts".

Under the influence of the butterfly effect, the development of the navy has been faster for more than a decade, but it is the old-school powers that have benefited the most, and for emerging countries such as Japan, the gap is even greater.

With great difficulty, I bought two second-hand "former dreadnoughts" from the British, and if they are lost now, it will be difficult to replenish them.

"Pull back, you mean that the power system of the Tokyo has been damaged and cannot be driven back?"

The young officer explained: "Yes, since the beginning of the battle, the Tokyo has been hit by the enemy seven times, and the power system has collapsed. ”

Looking at the battlefield, Ito shook his head: "Now the Tokyo can't be withdrawn, and it can't be withdrawn." Unless we hold out until dark, the enemy will not let us go. ”

Originally, this battlefield was chosen because it was close to the port, which made it convenient to run away after defeat. However, the plan did not change quickly, and the desperate Japanese fleet actually fought with the enemy.

"Heavy casualties" is not a problem at all for Ito. As long as this war can be won, no matter how big the loss is, it will be worth it.

You know, this war is not only a war for the sake of war, but also for the great powers.

The observation ships staying in the distance were not only from the Holy Roman Empire, but also from more than a dozen countries such as Britain, the United States, Russia, the Netherlands, and the Qing Dynasty. The performance of the Japanese Navy at this moment will directly determine the position of various countries towards them in the future.

Otherwise, Ito Yuheni was full of food and support, so he gathered so many forces to fight hard with the Spaniards. Wouldn't it be nice to put some of the Spanish Army ashore and let the army horse manure also make a contribution?

From the very beginning, Ito's aim was to give the impression of "daring to fight" and "crazy" to the countries, and only in this way could he deter the major powers and dispel their peeping into the Philippine archipelago.

Otherwise, with Japan's current strength, even if it wins the battle against the Spaniards, there will be no way to keep the Philippine Islands.

The effect was indeed very obvious, and Governor Chandler, who was watching the battle, had already decided to revise his strategic plan to seize the Philippines. He was not prepared to let the Nanyang Fleet take any risks until he received support from his homeland.

The British, who had doubts about the Japanese fighting ability and were still hesitant to support them, will probably make up their minds after this war.

……

The weather gradually darkened, and under the cover of night, the warring sides withdrew from the battlefield. With the end of the naval battle, telegrams were also flown from the South Seas to all parts of the world.

Vienna Palace, looking at the results of the first ironclad battle in human history, Franz has an indescribable comfort.

Who won in Japan and Spain?

It is estimated that no one can give an accurate answer to this question. Judging from the number of dead and sunken warships alone, the Spanish fleet was a proper big winner; However, from an overall strategic point of view, the Japanese Navy was the winner of this naval battle.

Breaking the myth of the invincibility of whites, with such great feats, no matter how big the loss is, it is acceptable.

"The naval battle has come to an end for the time being, and according to the information sent by the governor of Nanyang, the navies of both Japan and Spain have suffered serious damage, and there should be no more major battles in the near future.

Then it's time for the Army to put on a show, how is the Spanish Army fighting, is it capable of seizing the Philippine Islands from the Japanese? ”

The coastline of the Philippine archipelago was very long, and without defeating the Spanish expeditionary fleet, the Japanese Navy simply could not do a full-fledged defense.

Given the poor relationship between the Japanese army and navy, perhaps the navy would be happy to see the army's jokes. It would be even more perfect if the army was defeated and they came out to clean up the mess.

"What is the combat effectiveness of the Japanese Army, we have not delved in. However, judging from their military spending, their combat effectiveness should not be too strong.

The combat effectiveness of the Spanish Army was mediocre, and judging by their performance in the war against France, it can even be said to be very bad. Like their international status, they are definitely at the bottom of the great powers.

However, it should still be stronger than the Japanese, and with the same number of troops, I am more optimistic about the Spaniards. ”

It is not that Fislav looks down on Japan and Spain, but after entering the second industrial revolution, the factor of absolute military combat effectiveness has changed. To use the most popular phrase now, that is, "a strong army is fed by military spending".

If you don't blow it or black it, the blood and courage of the Japanese army is really powerful, but in the face of the torrent of steel, this thing is not at all serious.

Not to mention the Spanish Army, which would not have completed its outfit if it had not been the victor of the anti-French alliance.

With the same backward equipment, the Spanish cowboys really didn't have much advantage over the Japanese army. Although the equipment is newer now, the Japanese are closer to the mainland!

With Spain's national strength, it can't afford to play the steel torrent on its own soil, let alone the Philippine Islands.

The biggest advantage of the Spaniards now is probably that the army's equipment and ammunition are all trophies, which saves some military spending.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the internal situation in Spain and must not allow this war to affect the peace and stability of the European continent!"

There is no doubt that Franz was not optimistic about the Spaniards. There are not so many reasons, just one reason - distance.

If the Spanish government is a little more domineering and directly presses all the main forces of the army and navy, it is estimated that it will be able to achieve a quick victory.

Now that the main force of the navy has invested most of it, the army has only sent about 100,000 troops, which seems to be huge, but it has lost the ability to kill with one blow.

You can hit the Philippine Islands, why can't you attack the Japanese mainland? The current Japanese government is not crazy, and if the war is really burned to Tokyo, it is very likely that they will compromise.

On the contrary, in the Philippine Islands, the Tokyo government did not feel deeply, and not only could not deter the Japanese, but would stimulate their madness.

Of course, this style of play is also a bit demanding for Spain. Unless the Madrid government invests in the money and gets the support of European countries, it will be difficult to implement.

As Franz prepares for the aftermath, the protagonists of the war declare themselves victors. The Spaniards talked about their achievements, and the Japanese boosted the morale of the people by "breaking the myth of the invincibility of the white man".

He is tough on the lips, but he is very honest on the body. After the end of the Philippine Naval War, Japan and Spain launched a diplomatic offensive in unison.

……

In Sulawesi, Governor Chandler, who had been harassed to no avail, received Admiral Valkenhein. Compared to previous contacts, this time the Spaniards were much more sincere.

There is no way, the fate of the expeditionary fleet is now in the hands of the governor of the South Seas. After the Japanese warship was damaged, it could be pulled back to the mainland for rescue, but the Spaniards had no way to pull the warship back to Europe.

At such a distance, before they could drive the damaged warship back, it sank halfway. In fact, on the way to retreat, the Spanish fleet ran aground and sank two more warships, including the badly damaged "Madrid".

Of course, they did not suffer a loss, and the Japanese navy, as the enemy, also did not bargain. On the way back to the mainland, the "Tokyo", which was the flagship, also sank.

The sinking of a warship does not mean that it will be scrapped, and if the damage to the hull is not too great, it can still be salvaged and salvaged.

Admiral Valkenhein came this time to rescue the Madrid. Although the Viennese government supported them, it was the Nanyang Governor who carried them out.

Whether the "Madrid" can be salvaged or not, and how long it will take for the warship to be repaired, these specific questions still depend on the support of the Nanyang Governor's Office.

There was no colonizer in the South Seas who did not peep into the Philippine Islands, and if the colonial government had not intervened, Admiral Valkenhain could not have imagined what would have happened next.

You can't count on the discipline of these repair shops, right? What people have to do is a long-term business, and short-term customers such as the Spanish fleet do not have the weight to speak as a colonizer who is a land snake.

"Your Excellency, Commander, you must understand that this is the South Seas, not Europe. A repair shop is not a shipyard, and it is normal for the technology to be defective.

If you want to do it perfectly, I personally recommend that your country bring the warship back to Europe for repair. Here, we can't guarantee quality. ”

Work has to be done, and this is stipulated by treaty. But how to do it, then it needs to be said.

From the position of Governor Chandler, what he hoped for most was a defeat for both Japan and Spain, and then the Japanese continued to occupy the Philippine Islands.

Even if the Spaniards took the lawsuit to Vienna, he took this position. As the Governor of Nanyang, it was his duty to find a way to expand the colony. As long as you act within the rules, no one can say that it is wrong.

Admiral Valken Hein shook his head: "Your country's repair plant in the South Seas region is not an ordinary repair factory, let alone simple warship maintenance, if necessary, I am afraid that even warships can be built." The technical strength shown at the moment is obviously inconsistent with the real technical ability of the maintenance plant.

We have an agreement with your country, Madrid and Vienna have also reached an agreement on this issue, and the current behavior of your country's repair plant is probably someone who wants to destroy the friendship between the two countries! ”

Chandler waved his hand: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid you're looking for the wrong person." As for the technical problems of the repair shop, you should go and talk to the capitalists, not me, the governor.

Maybe it's the capitalists who want to take advantage of the fire, you know this kind of thing is their specialty, even our fleet they extort. ”

If it weren't for his good upbringing, Admiral Valkenhain would have been on the verge of exploding. Mo said that it was in the Holy Roman Empire, where capital was suppressed, and even in other European countries where capital strength was relatively strong, I had not heard of any shipyard daring to "blackmail" its own navy.

Not to mention the colony, if you offend the navy, wear small shoes, and block the door every day to check smuggling, no matter how awesome the shipyard is, you can't even survive.

There are not so many twists and turns in the military dealings, and Admiral Valkenhein does not remember so many diplomatic words, and there is no time for nonsense here.

"What do we need to do to get your help?"