Chapter 307: The First Step of America's Outward Expansion

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The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia. It is located in the southeast of Asia, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the east, the South China Sea to the west, and Taiwan Province of China across the Bass Strait to the north. It faces Indonesia and Malaysia in the south and southwest across the Sulawesi Sea and the Balabac Strait. These islands are like shining pearls, dotted with the blue waters of the western Pacific Ocean, and the Philippines has the reputation of "the pearl of the western Pacific". The republic is divided into three parts: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Forests in the Philippines cover more than 40 percent of the country's land area. The main deposits are iron, chromium, manganese, gold and copper. And these are all needed by China, which is developing more and more rapidly, in terms of industry.

In 52, Magellan led a Spanish expedition to the Philippine Islands. After that, Spain gradually occupied the Philippines and ruled it for more than 00 years. However, the area controlled by Spain is only Manila and other major cities and rich coastal plains, and the vast mountainous areas are also under the control of the indigenous Filipinos. However, these indigenous Filipinos were brutally exploited by the Spanish colonies, and although they formed many rebel armies, they were powerless to resist Spanish rule.

In addition, there are a large number of Chinese in the Philippines. It's just that these Chinese are not doing well in the Philippines. The industrious Chinese have amassed a lot of wealth in the Philippines. But they were bullied by both the Spanish colonizers and the natives. And the Chinese Empire obviously cannot sit idly by.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the information we have now, Spain has nearly 50,000 colonial troops in the Philippines, Guam, and the Mariana Islands. Of these, 42,000 are in the Philippines. In terms of navy, Spain has only a small fleet in the Philippines, with a displacement of 3,500 tons. The cruiser Cristina with 55 mm main guns, an old wooden cruiser Castile and five destroyers and gunboats with a displacement of only 500 to 00 tons. This is not much of a threat to us. According to the plan of the General Staff, the Navy sent a fleet of one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and four destroyers to destroy the Spanish naval fleet. At the same time, cover the landing of three brigades of marines in Manila. The Spanish colonial army was poorly armed, untrained, and extremely ineffective enough to withstand our attack. Instead, we need to pay attention to the indigenous rebels in the Philippines. Now, the number of those indigenous rebels has exceeded 100,000. Although their combat effectiveness is low, it must have had a severe impact on our rule in the Philippines. Chief of the General Staff Xiong Wu said.

"Chief of Staff, why is it all a matter of the Navy? What about our Army? Otherwise, these natives will be handed over to our army to deal with! I promise that with just one division of troops, we will be able to wipe out all these natives. War Minister Cai Yun said.

"No need, our marines, after defeating the Spaniards, can clean up these natives by the way!" Navy Minister Zhang Cheng also said. Although those Filipino natives have low combat effectiveness, they can be regarded as war exploits! The Navy can eat it all, so why should it share it with others?

"Lao Zhang, it's not a good habit to eat alone! Besides, it won't be long before your navy will have a big battle, so you have to give our army six points of soup to drink! Cai Yun said unhappily.

"Lao Cai! I can't help it! The Marine Corps has been established for a few years, but there is a battle in Hawaii, and the other units have not yet been tested in actual combat! I finally had such an opportunity, but I can't let it go. Zhang Cheng said. The Marines are now organized into ten brigades, with the 3rd and 4th Brigades being sent to Hawaii, a 1st Brigade stationed in the Ryukyus, the 2nd and 6th Brigades in Taiwan, and the 7th Brigade on Hainan Island. The remaining brigades have not yet landed. This time against Spain, there is no doubt that these marines have found an opportunity! Although, in that part of the Philippines, it is a little harder, but the training of the Marine Corps is very hard. Landing operations, storming fortifications and even jungle warfare are all subjects of their training. That place in the Philippines is the time to test their level of training.

"Alright, stop arguing. This time in the war against Spain, the navy is responsible! The army is fully prepared, and if we want to defeat the Russians, we must be fully prepared! Wang Yuze said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Although he was a little unwilling, Wang Yuze had already spoken, and Cai Yun had to give up.

"Zhang Aiqing, the indigenous population of the Philippines has exceeded five million, while the number of local Chinese is only a few hundred thousand. This is very detrimental to our future domination of the Philippines. Therefore, when exterminating those who resist in the Philippines, it is necessary to exterminate all the indigenous people who dare to resist. Those indigenous tribes were also arrested. Isn't it necessary to build infrastructure that has come to us? Of the five million Filipinos, one million is enough. When the time comes, we will have millions of immigrants from the country, which can effectively alleviate the population pressure in the country! Wang Yuze said. The Philippines is a small country, but it will be extremely arrogant in later generations. And the local Chinese are not less oppressed by them. If the Philippines becomes a colony of China, it will naturally not make these Filipino natives feel better.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I know what to do!" Zhang Cheng replied. Although, this seems a bit cruel to Filipinos. But isn't that what happens between countries? The Philippines is rich in mineral resources and at the same time has fertile land. It would be a waste to let these lazy Filipino natives enjoy these favorable natural conditions. Rather than this, it is better to let the hard-working Chinese enjoy these things, and also be able to contribute to the strength of the empire. And those Filipinos either become obedient people, or they have to go to the major mines or construction sites to build roads as coolies. As for Filipino women, the famous "Filipino maid" in later generations is a way out for them. It's just that in Wang Yuze, these black Filipino women are all unappetizing, where are the female officials in his palace beautiful!

"Your Majesty, then the time for us to do something to the Philippines is set after the Americans do it?" Xiong Wu asked.

"Of course, the Western world is now very dissatisfied with us, and if we take the lead again, it will make the Western world even more hostile to us. If the Americans were to be at the front, we would be under much less pressure. According to my estimates, in a maximum of two months, the Americans will be in action. We have to be ready in these two months! Wang Yuze said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Everyone replied.

Historically, it was in April that the Americans did it to Spain. This time, however, Hawaii fell into Chinese hands, and the U.S. navy in the Pacific was completely depleted, and it no longer had the strength to attack Spain's colonies in Asia. China, on the other hand, should have taken Spain's Asian colonies into its pockets. Spain's colonial army in Asia had only 50,000 troops, while in the Caribbean, there were more than 200,000 troops. Coupled with the heavy losses of the U.S. Navy in last year's war, the Americans will have to pay a much greater price if they want to defeat the Spaniards this time.

At a time when Wang Yuze was plotting to rob Spain, the White House was also engaged in a debate over whether to wage war against Spain. The loss of the main force of the U.S. Navy in last year's crushing defeat against China has left many senior U.S. officials skeptical about the ability to defeat an established colonial power like Spain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Spaniards have 200,000 troops in Cuba, and their navy has dozens of warships. Can we beat them? Please give me an accurate answer! "William? President McKinley asked. After being defeated by China, he became more cautious.

"Your Excellency the President, Spain has 200,000 colonial troops in Cuba, and that's right. However, these Spanish troops, lacking training and insufficient weapons and ammunition, were simply vulnerable. In addition, the uprising that broke out in '95 had severely dealt a blow to Spanish rule in Cuba. Now, the Cuban rebel army is in M Gomez? He? Under Báez, large swathes of the country have been liberated. As long as we send two to thirty thousand troops, we can win! "U.S. Secretary of War Russell? a? Alger said.

William? McKinley nodded, although the combat effectiveness of the US Army is not strong, it has been strengthening training and replenishing various heavy weapons for a period of time, and its combat effectiveness has been greatly improved. Defeating the Spanish colonial army should have no problem. However, what worries him most now is the naval problem. Although Cuba is relatively close to the United States, the Army must not be able to swim through the Florida Strait if the Navy cannot win. So he asked, "Mr. Roosevelt, will the Navy be able to ensure victory?" ”

"Your Excellency, please rest assured that although the Spanish Navy has a large number of warships, they are all old-fashioned warships, and there is not a single battleship that poses no threat to us. Our battleship 'Massachusetts' has been repaired and has returned to the Mayport Naval Base. At the same time, after the shipyard's rush work, the lead ship of our 'Chishaji-class' battleships 'Chishaji' has been completed, and is currently in the midst of intense sea trials, and will be able to enter service in a month's time. When the time comes, with these two battleships and the other battleships, it will be enough to defeat the Spanish Navy! "Theodore? Roosevelt said.

"Well, let's just decide! Let's take Spain as the first stepping stone for the United States to expand outward! "William? President McKinley made up his mind.

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