Although he was very angry in his heart, in the face of the German Far East Fleet sailing over under the banner of welcome, George Dewey could only honestly lower the flag at half-mast to salute, and then salute back.

As a veteran navy who had participated in the Civil War, George Dewey had rich experience and a strong enterprising spirit, and if it weren't for his organization and instigation, he spent two months preparing for this voyage, and the Asian detachment would not even be able to use the Philippine waters at all.

However, although his fleet was not fully prepared, George Dewey believed that the Spaniards were not fully prepared, and he even guessed that the Spanish mines were not effective due to hydrological conditions, which made him right. Therefore, when it came to war with the Spaniards, George Dewey thought that he could still win through a hard battle (although the Americans were forced to withdraw from the battle after a series of mistakes in history, and then returned to the battlefield to find that the Spaniards had lost in a daze).

But in the face of the German Navy in front of him, which was neat and majestic, George Dewey knew that he had no chance of winning. Of course, if there is an order, then even if he knows that he is defeated, George Dewey will lead the fleet to fight to the death, but his own order is not to conflict with the Germans, so he can only honestly accept the welcome of the Germans and play a good "friendly" "visiting" fleet.

Greeted by the German fleet, the American fleet sailed into Manila, and the Germans arranged the American berths at a distance from the Spanish fleet, with German berths separated from the two fleets.

In this way, the two fleets, which were supposed to fight in Manila Bay, docked peacefully together in the port of Manila, while the sailors of the two fleets stood on the decks of their warships, staring at each other from a short distance.

Both sides were embarrassed, the Americans knew that they were here to fight the Spaniards, and the Spaniards knew that the Americans were here to fight themselves, and as a result, both sides had to exercise restraint under the pressure of the Germans.

As soon as the U.S. fleet docked at the port, George Dewey hurriedly met with Tirpitz, commander of the German Far East Fleet, and then learned from the other side that the Spanish government had handed over the Philippines to Germany for trusteeship, and now the Spanish Far East Fleet was under the "control" of the German Navy.

Instead of saying "protection" to the Spaniards, the Germans changed the word to tell the Americans that this Spanish fleet would not go to trouble you, and of course, you should not go to trouble them. In desperation, George Dewey could only play the role of a guest of his "friendly visit", and let his ships accept supplies from the Germans (Spaniards).

He then used a telegraph station in Manila to immediately report to the United States what had happened in the Philippines, but Roosevelt knew earlier than George Dewey, who was sailing at sea, that the Philippines had been hosted by Germany.

However, it was thought that the Spaniards and the Germans might reach an agreement, and it would take a long time for it to reach the Philippines, and that the Germans would not be so quick to receive Manila, so they thought that the Asian detachment could still make a time difference.

But now it seems that the Germans are quick to act, the United States has no chance, and Roosevelt, who received the telegram, can only sigh and report to President McKinley.

"It's the last thing we want, but it's not something we expected, is it, Teddy." McKinley is very open-minded: "If the Germans can't even seize this opportunity, then their efforts to get a foothold in the Philippines will be in vain, right?" ”

"The Germans acted premeditated, from the time we declared war with Spain to the time Spain announced that the Philippines was under German trusteeship, and considering that Manila was now under German control, they must have done so sooner than the two countries reached an agreement! If they hadn't been prepared in advance, they wouldn't have been able to move so quickly.

It is quite possible that the Germans have been waiting for us to declare war on Spain for a long time, and then take this opportunity to force Spain to make concessions! It was we who gave the Germans the opportunity to snatch the Philippines. Roosevelt guessed this.

"This shows that the Germans are well prepared, or that they have always been well prepared, from the Philippine Storm* to the current trusteeship of the entire Philippines, it can be said that every step of the way is preparing for the next step, and for us, the war itself is unplanned, so isn't it normal to be robbed of opportunities by the Germans?"

"But it is also our best chance to get the Philippines, and the Germans will definitely let the Spaniards go from trusteeship to handover, and we will never have the opportunity to set foot on Philippine soil again." Roosevelt reluctantly said: "Germany is not Spain, and we cannot take the Philippines lightly from their hands." ”

"But we still have Cuba, don't we, concentrate on it, we're going to deal with Spain now, and the guns that the Germans have shipped this time have helped us a lot, at least now we have to get on good terms with the Germans." Don't talk about all the bad news, isn't there a little good news? McKinley asked.

"Well, the good news is that Commodore Dewey was warmly received by the Germans in Manila, and he reported back that the Spanish Far East Fleet was entirely under the control of the Germans." Roosevelt replied with a shrug.

"That's great news, isn't it? Our Asian detachment avoided a war, even against the vulnerable Spaniards. In fact, McKinley still thinks highly of the Spaniards, and in the historical Battle of Manila Bay, only 9 people were injured and 1 person was killed on the American side, and the chief engineer who died died of a heart attack caused by stress and high temperature in the engine room.

"And we can tell our people that our West Coast is absolutely safe, and that a well-equipped Asian Squadron will be the safest barrier on our West Coast, which will be good for easing the tensions of the people." McKinley said lightly.

Although the explosion and sinking of the USS Maine caused the American people to cry for revenge, when the war began, these people began to fall into tension again, especially pessimism about whether the Navy could win. Just imagine, a sea fortress with nearly 7,000 tons of armor and thick armor will be sent to the bottom of the sea by a small mine, so how to face the enemy's shells in the real war.

This kind of thinking made the American people almost lose confidence in the warships of their own navy for a while. And the newspapers that had been the most fanatical about the war before the war also changed their tune and began to hysterically exaggerate panic.

The headline "The Spanish fleet will appear on the east coast in two weeks" seemed to take people back to the horrors of the war of 1812, so a large number of small boats, described as "qualified as long as they can fit a one-pounder gun and remain unsinkable", were requisitioned by the navy as patrol sentry boats. Even a few low-freeboard ironclads from the Civil War era equipped with breech guns were washed and draped into battle.

In this social environment, some small newspapers even claimed that the Spanish Far East Fleet would also attack the West Coast, and they did not care whether the Spanish Far East Fleet had the ability to do so.

Had it not been for the Admiralty's announcement that the three battleships Iowa, the USS Texas, and the USS Massachusetts, as well as the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn, would be transferred from the command of William Thomas Sampson, commander of the US North Atlantic Fleet, to form a so-called mobile fleet, under the command of Commodore Scoleri, to be stationed in the Hampton Waterways near Virginia on the east coast to deal with "the Spanish fleet that may come at any time."

The Asian Squadron will take the initiative to attack the Spanish Far East Fleet, and it is estimated that there will be a major chaos in the United States in which coastal residents will move inland.

Therefore, the declaration that the West Coast is now completely safe is extremely important in stabilizing the situation in the country and pacifying the people.

"And the Army that we were supposed to send to the Philippines can also be sent to Cuba." Roosevelt said with some disapproval: "It's just more than 10,000 people, which is not enough compared with the Spanish garrison in Cuba." ”

"So you're still going to organize your 'volunteer army' to go to Cuba? You are the assistant secretary of the Navy, how can you casually leave your job and run to the front? McKinley was somewhat unhappy with Roosevelt's recklessness.

"It's the '1st Volunteer Cavalry Brigade', and if our navy can completely annihilate the Spanish fleet, then I don't have much work to do, do I? I can't stay in the back. Roosevelt said.

McKinley looked at Roosevelt, but in the end he did not continue to persuade, he knew that although he trusted this friend who was 15 years younger than himself and believed in his ability, his youth and lack of political capital were also his shortcomings, and this was a good opportunity to obtain political capital.

However, if his friend wants to go to Cuba to gain prestige, he must first deal with the fleet supported by the Spaniards.

With the east wind of the Spanish-American War, the Germans did not make any big waves in the Philippines, except that some people in the United States lamented their bad luck, that is, the British paid a little attention.

"The Germans hosted the Philippines?! But it is indeed expected, they have just gained a foothold in the Philippines, and now God has given them the whole Philippines, I have to say that their luck is really good, every time there is a move, there are other things that involve the attention of Europe. ”

After Spain and Germany signed an agreement and issued a joint statement announcing that the Philippines would be handed over to German trusteeship "temporarily", British Prime Minister Salisbury sighed.

"Your Excellency, the whole of the Philippines plus most of New Guinea, Germany now has a fairly extensive colony in the Pacific region, and they are closer to the Qing Kingdom, will this affect our power in the Far East?" Colonial Secretary Neville Chamberlain asked.

"It is true that the Germans have gained a great influence in the Far East after the acquisition of the Philippines, but they will have no effect on our country. The Spaniards handed over the Philippines to the Germans, and incidentally handed over the troubles of the Philippines to the Germans. The Germans wanted to develop the Philippines, and those restless Filipino monkeys would not honestly obey the Germans' commands.

If the Germans want to consolidate their rule, they will probably continue to increase troops in the Far East, and it is estimated that a long war between them and those yellow-skinned monkeys will be indispensable. Moreover, the Americans have always had ambitions for the Philippines, and the Germans also have to be careful to watch out for American actions in the Pacific.

For our country, as long as we control Singapore, we have an unparalleled strategic advantage, so the Germans in the Philippines will not have much impact on our country. On the contrary, it is the expansion of the French in Taiwan that is the more recent trouble for us. Salisbury analyzed.

"But the Germans have made some moves overseas, and it seems that they are doing a good job of integration in Austria, and they are starting to have spare energy, and I hope they don't cause any trouble for our operation in South Africa." R1152