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, but he couldn't help it, he couldn't fight and didn't dare to fight.

As an old Navy veteran who fought in the Civil War, George? Dewey was experienced and had a strong enterprising spirit, and if it weren't for his organization and instigation, which took two months to prepare for this voyage, the Asian detachment would not even be able to use the Philippine waters at all.

But, although his own fleet is not yet fully prepared, George? Dewey was fooled by the fact that the Spaniards were not well prepared, and even speculated that the Spaniards' mines were ineffective due to hydrological conditions. Hence the war with the Spaniards, George? Dewey believed that he could still win the battle 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 neat and majestic German Navy in front of him, George? Dewey knew he had no chance of winning. Of course, if there is an order, then even if you know that you are invincible, George? Dewey would also lead the fleet to fight to the death, but his country's order was not to clash with the Germans, so he could only honestly accept the Germans' welcome and play the role of a "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 American fleet docked at the port. George? Dewey hurriedly met with Tirpitz, commander of the German Far East Fleet, and then learned from the other party 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 the Americans in order to sue the Americans. This Spanish fleet will not go to trouble you, and of course, you should not trouble them. In desperation, George? Dewey could only play the role of a guest of his "friendly visit" and let his ships receive supplies from the Germans (Spaniards).

Then using a telegraph station in the city of Manila, he immediately reported to the United States what had happened in the Philippines, in fact, Roosevelt was more than George who was sailing at sea? Dewey knew earlier 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 start, and the United States has no chance. Roosevelt, who received the telegram, could 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 it wasn't for the early preparation. They couldn't have moved 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 were well prepared. Or that they have always been well prepared, from the riots in the Philippines to the current hosting of the whole of the Philippines, it can be said that every step of the way they are preparing for the next step, and for us, the war itself was unplanned, so isn't it normal to be robbed of the opportunity by the Germans? ”

"But it's also our best chance to get the Philippines. The Germans will certainly turn the Spaniards from trusteeship to handover, and we will lose the opportunity to set foot on Philippine soil again. Roosevelt said unwillingly: "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 brought in this time have helped us a lot, at least for 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. There are also some small newspapers that are afraid that the world will not be chaotic, and they even claim that the Spanish Far East Fleet will also attack the west coast, and they don't care whether the Spanish Far East Fleet has the ability to do so or not.

If it weren't for the Admiralty's announcement that the three battleships USS Iowa, USS Texas, USS Massachusetts and the USS Brooklyn would have been removed from the commander of the US North Atlantic Fleet, William? Thomas Sampson was transferred to form the so-called Mobile Fleet, commanded by Brigadier General Scoleri, and stationed in the Hampton Waterways near Virginia on the East Coast to deal with "the Spanish fleet that could come at any moment."

The Asian Squadron will take the initiative to attack the Spanish Far East Fleet. 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 didn't continue to persuade him, he knew. Although he trusts this friend who is 15 years younger than him very much, and also believes in his ability, his youth and lack of political capital are also his shortcomings, and this is 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's to be expected. Just gained a foothold in the Philippines, and now God has given them the whole of the Philippines. I have to say that they are really lucky, every time there is a move, there are other things that draw 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, and Germany now has a fairly large colony in the Pacific. And they are closer to the Qing State, will this affect the power of our country in the Far East? Colonial Secretary Neville 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.

The Germans wanted to consolidate their rule. It is estimated that they will continue to increase troops to the Far East, and it is estimated that there will be a long war between them and those yellow-skinned monkeys. 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." (To be continued......)

PS: Today's chapter is made up, and tomorrow's chapter is still rushing, and the chapter the day after tomorrow looks dangerous