When you think of the Netherlands, many people think of windmills, tulips, the Low Countries and the centuries-old reclamation of the sea, but it is also a kingdom of merchants, with a thriving trade, countless business opportunities and some of the most astute merchants in the world!

The Dutch like to evaluate things through the eyes of a businessman, and sometimes something that seems to be a loss can show their shrewdness. From the Dutch Queen's ambitious and confident demeanor, Chen Tian can see this.

The white viewing platform sits on Rotterdam's largest pier, surrounded by a sea of red, white and blue, where tens of thousands of Dutch people gather to witness one of the largest military parades in the Netherlands since the 20th century.

In the calm harbor, mighty warships moved slowly, and the rumbling salute came one after another; On the leveled docks, groups of well-equipped and well-groomed Dutch soldiers marched with firm steps; Dutch fighter planes flying overhead in a five-plane formation are also showing the world their extraordinary qualities.

Yes, this was the largest military parade in the history of the Netherlands, and in order to show their firm stance and sincerity in entering the war, the Dutch took out almost all their belongings - 1 heavy cruiser, 1 battle cruiser, 4 light cruisers, 16 destroyers, 3 escort carriers, 17 submarines and 55 auxiliary ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy were neatly lined up in the harbor, although this was only the size of a German fleet, but it was the limit of the Dutch government's current financial resources, and except for a few ships, Most of the warships here were procured from Germany; The 8,500 troops of 12 infantry battalions and 2 artillery battalions are undoubtedly the essence of the Royal Netherlands Army, and it takes great courage to organize an army of this size to go out of the country for an army that has been out of the world stage for many years; Compared to the army and navy, the Dutch Air Force, with more than 40 new Fokker fighters and more than 110 old combat aircraft, is the most expected force.

Diplomats of all countries expressed surprise and admiration at the Dutch determination, and according to the Dutch government's announcement, the fleet would set sail for distant Southeast Asia next week. To fight against the Japanese, who had harassed the Dutch East Indies for many years, and to defend the legitimate interests of the Dutch citizens there, despite the fact that the Japanese had recently claimed that Germany had manipulated the pre-war situation in Southeast Asia?

As the parade progressed, standing beside the Queen of the Netherlands, Di Chentian always maintained the strong posture of a soldier, which was not only a respect for the tens of thousands of Dutch officers and soldiers in the audience, but also a respect for this new ally. Although the Dutch's greatest goal was to take back the East Indies that belonged to them, Chentian and Germany were not disgusted by this. Because that resource-rich land has long been infiltrated by German capital, what the Dutch want to get back is more of a loss of land dignity.

In fact, at this time, Southeast Asia was facing a new turning point in the decisive situation, and the decision on whether Germany and Japan would continue to confront each other or the Japanese army would withdraw from the contention was in the hands of the generals of both sides, and this decisive battle was about to break out.

Manila, Philippines.

Ever since Vice Admiral Uchida's Malay Task Force suffered heavy losses in the Gulf of Thailand, Matsumura and his Southeast Asian Task Force have received orders from the Navy Headquarters not to leave the port until reinforcements from the home fleet have been received. As a result, when the German-Turkish joint expeditionary fleet was frequently active in the South China Sea, especially in the waters around the Philippines. The Matsumura fleet, consisting of three armored cruisers, one light cruiser, and five destroyers, remained indifferent to the Manila military port, which was heavily guarded by shore fortifications.

Manila in June has quietly entered the summer season. What Matsumura was waiting for was not the mighty Japanese Combined Fleet, but a commendation from the Admiralty and a Gold Glass Medal of the Second Degree, although such decorations were usually awarded only to army and navy commanders who had made great achievements. But Matsumura couldn't be happier.

"Is it true that Mori Hatsukun will not stay longer for a few more days? Although this Philippines is not bustling, it is also a good place for leisure and vacation, but it is ...... Alas, it won't be long before this will be a bloody battlefield! ”

Matsumura's words, whose temples were already covered with gray hair, were full of regret and sorrow, and standing beside him was Vice Admiral Mori, who was sent by the Admiralty to present the commendation order and medals, and Matsumura's colleague for many years. A hero is useless, coupled with a similar upright personality, and the sympathy between them is a lot less estranged and more sincere.

At this time, Sen was also full of helplessness for the first time, "No, the Admiralty only gave me two days, I must leave today!" ”

"Oh......" Matsumura let out a long sigh, "Mori Hatsu-kun, in fact, there is a reluctant invitation below!" ”

Mori looked at each other with a serious face for the first time, "Matsumura-kun, please say." As long as you are within your ability, you must do your best! ”

Matsumura lowered his head and said: "At present, the Philippines is in crisis, and the Admiralty is determined to let this fleet contain the German and Turkish Navy, and it should also repay the trust of His Majesty the Emperor with jade pieces!" It's just that there are still old mothers, wives and children in the next family, once Manila is lost, I hope that Sen Chujun can take care of his family on his behalf! ”

"Alas......" As the main staff officer of the Japanese Admiralty, Mori knew the Navy's Philippine strategy well for the first time, and at present, Japan's mainland is still threatened by the German Navy and Air Force, and the Japanese Navy will naturally not focus on this overseas colony, and what the Matsumura fleet can do is to try to contain the German and Turkish fleets, and attack the German landing ships when the other side attacks the Philippines.

"If Mori Hatsukun feels embarrassed, then it's ......"

"No, Matsumura-kun, you misunderstood, and you will definitely live up to your trust! It's just that thinking about the vigorous development of the empire in the past few years and the dilemma of today, I really feel a lot of emotion! For the first time, Mori looked at the seabirds flying freely not far away, their colors were so similar to his white navy uniform, but he was a man who could not even control his own fate.

"Then please!" Matsumura bowed deeply.

"By the way, as far as I know, the German emperor is engaged to the Dutch princess, and according to European habits and the recent troop movements of the German army, a large-scale attack is not far off!"

Mori reminded kindly for the first time.

"In fact, as long as Mori Hatsukun stays for one more night, he will know that the German attack is imminent!" Matsumura pointed to a ruin not far away, "Since last week, the German bombing of Manila has increased from once a week to once every two or three days, and sometimes as many as two or three hundred planes have been put into the bombing ground!" ”

"Oh? Didn't Matsumura-kun report this situation to the Navy Headquarters? Mori was a little surprised at first. - Matsumura Kikuto shook his head. "I've reported it twice, and it's been an official report!"

"It seems ......" Mori shook his head for the first time, but the following words were not spoken.

"Alright, it's time for me to go too, Matsumura-kun, I hope we have another chance to meet!"

Matsumura Juyong solemnly shook hands with the other party, "Mori Hatsu-kun, take care!" ”

A few hours later. Dusk fell, and the blood-red sunset gave people an incomparably poignant feeling, and at this time, a group of black dots "drilled" out of the sunset, and as these black dots quickly approached, the familiar and terrifying roar gradually became clear.

"Air strike!" The Japanese soldiers on duty shouted and sounded the alarm.

In a short time, the terrible air raid sirens spread throughout Manila, followed by the screeching sound of the bombs that almost pierced the eardrums as they fell, and the dense bombs fell like snowflakes, and the once rich city of Manila trembled in the explosion. The relentless fire engulfed buildings of all styles and the contents within. Almost everyone had a premonition that a storm was coming.

Palawan, southwestern Philippines.

Palawan is a long and narrow breakwater between the Philippine archipelago and Kalimantan, which has been built since the German-Turkish Expeditionary Force captured Kalimantan and established a series of military airfields on it. The Japanese troops stationed in Palawan began to taste the taste of saturation bombing, and large groups of German bombers and Turkish bombers came every day like crows foraging for food on time, and by mid-June, this kind of bombing was extremely intensive, and it was against this background that the German-Turkish combined fleet, which had strong combat effectiveness, appeared in the waters west of Palawan.

Monday, June 17, 1929.

It was a sunny day, but what awaited tens of thousands of German and Japanese officers and soldiers was a battle of life and death.

In the bright sun, fighter jets chased each other back and forth, the rapid rotation of the metal propellers allowed each side to roar forward faster than the human race itself, and the deadly tongues of fire filled the air with the breath of death. The fierce aerial battle gradually heats up, with young hearts stopping beating every minute, skillful air rolls and dives not showing off their skills but dodging death, silvery-white and dark green alternating as attackers. A steady stream of new forces from both sides is flying from their respective aircraft carriers and land bases, and the addition of a group of fighters can change the delicate situation of the battle at any time, and the approach of a group of bombers is likely to become the prey of the other side in an instant. Dozens of nautical miles southwest of the battlefield in the air, the expeditionary fleet approached the battlefield without hesitation. Among the four battle columns, the second column, consisting of the super battleship "Kaiser Wilhelm", the battleships "Istanbul" and the "Great Xinming", was the most powerful, and it was they that constituted an absolute psychological deterrent to the Japanese maritime forces in Southeast Asia. Ever since the Germans launched a new offensive, the poor Japanese task force had been hiding in the port of Manila.

The battle cruiser "Buran", the heavy cruisers "Pritz" and "Vojenin" and the battle cruiser "Foreign Aid" formed the 1st mobile column of the German-Turkish joint expeditionary fleet, and it is worth mentioning that the "Pritz" is also a Scharnhorst-class heavy cruiser, a total of 4 warships of this class are currently in service with the German Navy, and the 4 still on the slipway will be completed before the end of the year. In addition, the "Foreign Aid" was originally a Boxer-class battle cruiser ordered by the Japanese Navy, but with the outbreak of the war, this battleship with good combat effectiveness was naturally confiscated by the German Navy, and after more than half a year of rearmament warfare, this cruiser finally appeared on the opposite side of the Japanese army, and the top of the mast fluttered the black vulture cross naval flag that made the navies of various countries fearful.

Whenever a group of scarred fighters returned to the four aircraft carriers located in the 3rd column, new echelons of aviation quickly went up to replenish their positions. The heavy aircraft carrier "Gneomar", the medium aircraft carriers "Praun" and "Samuel", and the escort aircraft carrier "Izmir" carried a total of 235 carrier-based aircraft, including 22 combat reconnaissance aircraft and 152 fighters, and the powerful escort lineup was enough to dwarf the Japanese 9th Air Force stationed in the Philippines.

"The 1st and 2nd columns accelerated forward, and the 3rd and 4th columns were in the rear with an anti-aircraft formation!"

The order to mean the beginning of the naval battle was given by the first commander of the German-Turkish Combined Expeditionary Fleet, Sariander, a Turkish admiral who had commanded the German-Turkish Combined Fleet in the Black Sea Campaign, and his ability was recognized by the German officers and men, and in the current German-Turkish Combined Expeditionary Fleet, the Turkish Navy sent more than half of the ships, and the German High Command gave up the post of commander to the Turks.

As the huge warships began to accelerate, the black vulture cross naval flag and the red crescent five-star flag fluttered in the wind, Germany, a once single land power, had already established its superiority in the three realms of sea, land and air, and Turkey, known as the "sick man of Europe", was also reborn after the death of democracy, and the two powerful fleets gathered into a fist in the distant South China Sea.

The southern beaches of Palawan were treated as hell for an entire afternoon, and the Japanese had built a beachhead line that could not withstand the onslaught of opposing battleships, and when thousands of German Marines washed up on the beach in landing craft, the Japanese resistance was minimal. As usual, more Japanese soldiers took refuge in deep bunkers or lush forests, and although the Germans quickly brought amphibious armored vehicles and light tanks to the island, the stubbornness of the Japanese resistance was a headache for the Germans.

Due to the containment of Germany's two fleets in the Far East, the Hipper fleet and the Speese fleet, the Japanese navy was simply unable to send the main fleet south, and without naval escort, the main Japanese forces stationed on Luzon Island could not send troops to reinforce Palawan, and finally could only watch the Japanese troops on the island be eaten away by the German army one by one. Despite this, nearly 10,000 Japanese troops on the island still held out for nearly half a month, and the German officers and soldiers who landed on the island paid a great price.

Although the battle to clear the remnants of the Japanese army on the island did not go well, the German engineers who followed the landing force on the island showed great efficiency, and three large airfields for long-range bombers to take off and land, three medium-sized airfields, and some small airfields were quickly completed, and with this bridgehead, the distance occupied by the Japanese army such as the German and Turkish air forces bombing Luzon and Medan was greatly shortened. By the time the Japanese were completely expelled from Palawan, there were more than 700 German and Turkish bombers stationed there, and even medium-range bombers such as the Dornier 101 were capable of bombing targets in and around Manila.