Not only that, but before leaving Britain, the British installed a very new gadget on two Japanese armored cruisers, which was radio equipment, which was still rare in this era, at least not a single one of the British, Russian, and German Far East fleets. Moreover, the radio equipment of the Japanese battleships could be perfectly docked with the radio equipment deployed by the British in Hong Kong and other places!

With the sudden change in the situation, the Japanese plan of action still made some adjustments, considering that the Americans are now assembling in the German colonies, so if they want to go to the Philippines, they will not be able to come over in one go. After all, the distance is there, so the Japanese idea is that after the official outbreak of war between the United States and the West, when the Spanish fleet goes south to deal with the Americans, Japan will stick a knife in the back, directly land on Luzon Island, and then occupy part of the area with the response of the Philippine guerrillas.

The landing force will be covered by older warships, as the initial alternative is not a fort like Manila Bay. At the same time, the Spanish fleet did not start to move until it went south, so the force responsible for covering was not very strong. Of course, the main Japanese fleet was not going to sit idly by, they were waiting for two more armored cruisers on the side of the Bass Strait, while providing cover for the landing force.

On January 15, 1898, a wing of Japanese troops and their equipment and horses had been transported to Tainan by transport, while the main force of the Combined Fleet was stationed in the Ryukyu Islands. The Asama and Yakumo entered the port of Mumbai that night under the cover of night. The last refueling before entering the Strait of Malacca is then completed, and it is expected that in three days, the two warships will enter Singapore to complete their last maintenance before entering the war.

A day later, three Spanish armored cruisers, led by Zaisai Vera, entered Manila, and a lamb entered a mortal trap in a daze, and the two wolves to the north and south had sharpened their knives. And Sevela only thought of the Americans to the south and ignored the Japanese to the north. Of course, he was also ignorant of the situation of the American fleet, and the British did not mean to tell Sevela the specific information. In Sevila's impression, the current American fleet should be about the same as it was a few months ago, right?

At this time, the U.S. and Russian fleets were also carrying out final maintenance work, and the Germans provided the Americans with relatively high-quality coal, as well as replenishing fresh water and food. Speaking of coal, Scheer and others were surprised to find that the US and Russian fleets can really load, and during this time, the entire fleet has been loaded with nearly 10,000 tons of coal! It is said that it directly moved more than two-thirds of the German Navy's coal reserves in Dagua! Rurik alone bought 1500 tons of coal-fired from the Germans with one armored cruiser! Of course, the price given by the Americans is still very fair, fully considering the cost of purchasing and transporting coal.

The Americans' fleet was prepared very early, but the first landing force of about 3,000 people had just set off, so they did not launch an attack as soon as possible, and war had not yet been declared between the United States and the West. And it is for this reason that the Americans gave the Japanese time to concentrate their fleet.

Whether it is the possible PK between the United States and the West that everyone knows, or the PK that is about to break out between the United States and Japan that only some major powers know, it is an extremely rare model for the navies of various countries! Although the Sino-Japanese War between the Qing Dynasty and Japan created a precedent for the battle of ironclad steam warships. But the size of the fleet was too small, and the level of the battleships participating in the battle was uneven. For the major powers with iron ships, the reference value is somewhat small.

But this time it's different! This is a PK between major powers, and the equipment is a concentration of the top warships of Britain, Germany, the United States, and Russia! The British Centurion 2nd class battleship, the German super-armored cruisers, the newest American battleships and armored cruisers, and the Russians' largest armored cruisers best suited for breaking diplomatic relations (well, the last author admits a little weird. So many masters gathered together for a scuffle, it's exciting to think about!

The British Far East Fleet first organized a visiting group, and a group of people headed by Commander Phillimant of the British Far East Fleet boarded the British Empire's largest and most frustrated protective cruiser, the Qiangsheng! Up to 3,000 tons of coal reserves are enough for the British to watch the whole process! It can be called the most luxurious existence of all the onlookers. The German onlookers were naturally Count Spee's Hamburg, and they would follow the US and Russian fleets throughout the whole process for 24-hour uninterrupted "interviews and reports."

The French and even the Italians also sent briefing ships to intensify their patrols in the Far Eastern seas, and they belonged to the kind of people who did not know what was going on, but felt murderous. In any case, the attitude of see-ahead and talk before finally prevailing. The actors are in place, and the audience has already entered, so now wait for the moment when the big play opens.

On February 14, 1898, the American ironclad USS Maine forcibly entered the port of Havana without informing the Spanish side. And unlike history, on the same day, a Japanese merchant ship also entered Manila Bay. The wheel of fate has begun to spin, and all parties participating in this national fortune gamble have been in place, and everyone has pushed their chips to the table, and then this fateful battle has begun!

On February 15, with a loud bang in the port of Havana, the Maine was blown into a pile of wreckage, in this explosion, the US Navy suffered heavy casualties, and the next day the major American newspapers reported this matter with an extremely fanatical attitude, and the difference in history is that the Americans even saved the skin this time, and directly announced that the Maine sank because of a mine, and the Spaniards were responsible! and demanded that Spain cease its repression of the Cuban insurgents and at the same time disarm in the West Indies.

On February 17, the American fleet, departing from the east coast of the United States, headed for the West Indies with three battleships. This time, the Americans did not fight with the Spaniards for two months before starting a war, on February 20, the United States and the West officially declared war on each other, and on February 19, three major events also happened in the Far East!

At 12 o'clock in the afternoon of 19 February, Commodore John Dewey, commander of the US Far East Fleet, received an order from Washington to go to war, and then the general headed for the Philippines with a huge fleet of 11 warships and 8 transports. And on the night of February 19, the Japanese merchant ship Awa Maru, anchored in the port of Manila, accidentally exploded and sank, and the next day, the Japanese government asked the Spanish government in the Philippines to allow the Japanese Navy to enter Manila Bay to investigate the situation! And almost at the same time as the Awa Maru exploded, the Asama and Yakumo had already left Hong Kong and headed for the Bass Strait! The magnificent Philippine naval battle is about to begin!

Thanks to book friends bighill1982, Fang Zhan 2004, hyh6319079 for their tips~~~, and thanks to book friend Hemato, a boy who didn't want to leave, who loves to read historical novels, a soldier who loves to use Thomson, Yi Yinyun and other book friends for their monthly ticket support~~~. Today's three watches, ask for subscriptions and rewards~~~! (To be continued.) )