After a day and a night of sailing, in the early morning of the 9th, the Asian Detachment of the US Navy and the Second Expeditionary Fleet of the Italian Navy arrived at Manila Bay without a hitch.

At this time, it is only getting dark, but depending on the weather, it should be a sunny day. The sea breeze in Manila is not strong today, and people standing on the deck of a warship will have a comfortable feeling when they are blown by the sea breeze.

The sea breeze is not strong, so the waves on the sea surface are relatively stable, which is very conducive to the aiming and shooting of warships and naval guns, and this is a very suitable day for naval warfare.

Roberte, the commander of the Italian fleet in military uniform, observed the port of Manila in the distance with a telescope, then put down the binoculars and excitedly said to Ram, the captain of the Queen Margaret beside him: "Great! Lin Daxin's fleet was really defenseless, and there were more than 20 large warships parked in the port of Manila, which should be 14 ironclad battleships and 9 large fast armored cruisers. Rear Admiral Ram, immediately contact the American fleet with the flag and accelerate the advance towards Manila! At the same time, all our Italian warships were ordered to prepare for battle, and the day of revenge for the Italian Navy had arrived! ”

Ram also said excitedly at this time: "Yes! Your Excellency, Commander, I will now order the flag soldiers to issue the flag. ”

U.S. Navy Asian Squadron Commander George? Dewey, also saw from the telescope that there were 23 large warships parked in the port of Manila, and after putting down the binoculars, he let out a long breath, it seems that Lin Daxin's fleet is really defenseless, and the uneasiness in his heart has finally disappeared, so the battle is decided.

At this time the captain of the USS Indiana, Henry Tell. To George? Dewey said: "Commander, the Italians have sent a signal for us to approach Manila at full speed. Attack the warships parked at the port docks! ”

George? Dewey's face was very relaxed at this time, and he said, "Order the fleet to move forward at full speed!" All warships are ready to fight, and today is the day when our US Navy is famous in Asia! Sue sù American boys, cheer me up, don't lose our American Navy people in front of the Italians. ”

As the American fleet and the Italian fleet moved at full speed, the port of Manila was getting closer. Sirens also sounded at the port of Manila.

But the strange thing is that although the sirens sounded in the entire Manila port, there was no panicked crowd in the port. The 23 warships docked in the harbor were also silent, and only a small number of marines retreated to the back of the harbor.

Because the warships of the Second Expeditionary Fleet of the Italian Navy are much faster than the warships of the Asian Detachment of the US Navy, they are moving at full speed. The Italian fleet shook off the American fleet and rushed in the direction of the port of Manila. When the Italian naval fleet was 8,000 meters away from the port of Manila, the Italian fleet, under the orders of Commander Roberte, began to fire on the 23 large warships staying in the harbor with the main and secondary guns on the warships.

"Boom-boom-boom-" 305-mm main gun shells fell around the port docks in Manila.

The warships of the American fleet were slower than those of the Italian fleet, so they followed behind the Italian fleet, and when they saw that the Italian fleet had opened fire, they could only reluctantly continue to accelerate the charge. Strive to get within range of your own warship's guns as soon as possible.

The main and secondary guns installed on the main warships of the Italian Navy are all new naval guns of 40 times the caliber. It is very threatening within 8,000 meters, but on the main warships of the US Navy, the farthest range is the 330 mm main guns of 35 times the caliber, and the range of these main guns has just reached 8,000 meters, so the Asian detachment of the US Navy is 8,000 meters away from the port of Manila. Commander George? Dewey still did not order the fleet to open fire, but prepared to close to the port of Manila to within 5,000 meters. before preparing for the shelling of warships in the harbor.

The Italian warships that had already fired their guns could not exert the firepower of the entire warship because they were approaching the port of Manila at high speed, and could only use the guns in the front of the warship to shoot at the warships staying in the harbor, but after several rounds of shelling, many of the warships staying in the port had been hit, and the gunners of the Italian Navy were still very accurate in hitting these fixed targets.

Several warships were hit by 305-mm main gun shells, which were instantly shattered and disappeared into the sea, and several warships that were hit became a big fireball in a short time.

Smashing, a big fireball, the commander of the Italian fleet, Roberte, looked at the results of his fleet's shelling from the telescope, and suddenly realized that something was wrong, how could a steel warship be shattered by a single shot, even a powerful 305-mm shell could not do it.

And how could a steel warship be hit by a single shell and set the entire warship on fire, even a wooden-hulled warship could not be like this.

At this time, the commander of the American fleet, George, who had not yet fired the guns, had been following the Italian fleet? Dewey, suddenly, received the flag of the large armored cruiser USS New York behind him, and a large fleet appeared in the sea area far behind them.

George? Dewey hurriedly picked up the telescope in a panic and looked into the distance from the observation window behind the bridge, and sure enough, a huge fleet appeared in the northwest direction, and dozens of warships were rushing towards his own fleet and the Italian fleet at a rapid pace.

George? Dewey exclaimed, "Not good! We have been tricked, and we will quickly inform the Italian Navy that Lin Daxin's fleet is not staying in the port, but behind us! Cunning Qing Dynasty people, what is the port dock docking? ”

Without the need for the Americans to issue flags, the commander of the Italian naval fleet, Roberte, had already discovered that the warships in the Manila harbor that his fleet had bombarded were not Lin Daxin's fleet at all.

It turned out that Lin Daxin came up with an idea a few days ago, mobilizing tens of thousands of Chinese in Manila, and tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the 15th Division and Marine Division of the Dingbei Army stationed in Manila, to build 23 wooden shelves in the shape of warships with wooden planks, bamboo mats, straw mats and wooden sticks, and also roughly painted a layer of gray-blue paint like the warships of the Northeast Navy on the bamboo mats and straw mats draped on the outside of these shelves.

The Chinese in Manila know how to make these warships-like shelves. In order to confuse the naval fleet of the United States and Italy to attack Manila, they pulled the wood from their homes to the port of Manila, and many Chinese even unloaded the door panels of their homes. Pulled to the port.

Some of the elderly Chinese in Manila even contributed wood to prepare their coffins.

There are not enough bamboo mats and straw mats draped outside the shelves, and Chinese women in Manila have woven tens of thousands of bamboo mats and straw mats day and night.

With the joint efforts of nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians day and night, these wooden shelves, which were made in the shape of warships and behemoths, were finally completed on the first day before the American fleet and the Italian fleet arrived in Manila. From a distance, it looks like 23 large warships are stuck in the port of Manila.

The reason why these Chinese in Manila supported Lin Daxin so much was first of all because after the Dingbei Army and the Northeast Navy occupied the Philippines. He did not commit any offence against the Chinese people, and also helped the Chinese in difficulty in various places.

The second is that the Dingbei Army has carried out a bloody suppression of the indigenous people who bullied the Chinese in the Philippines, since Lin Daxin led the troops into Manila, only the Chinese in Manila bullied the natives. Gone are the days when the natives tried to bully the Chinese in Manila anymore.

In the end, Lin Daxin decided that the Philippines would implement the same policy as the current four northeastern provinces, so that the Chinese in the Philippines would pay very little tax, and with other policies benefiting the people in the four northeastern provinces, the life of the Filipino Chinese would become better and better.

Therefore, the Chinese in the Philippines do not want the Americans and Italians to defeat Lin Daxin, so that the Chinese in the Philippines will return to the days when they would be robbed, beaten and bullied by the natives at any time.

After the completion of this huge project, Lin Daxin looked at the big toys like the 23 warships in the port, and happily said to the officers of the Dingbei Army and the Northeast Navy around him: "The people's hearts are available!" It looks like we can get a foothold in the Philippines! ”

Chen Ergou, the commander of the Dingbei Army Guards Division next to him, sighed and said: "I didn't expect that in just 2 or 3 days, 23 behemoths were erected, and I looked at it from a distance." It's like our Second and Third Fleets docked at the port of Manila! ”

Lin Daxin said with a smile: "The time for our empty shelves to be built is just right, and in the morning we have already received a telegram from the Third Fleet Lichun, and the American fleet and the Italian fleet have already set off!" They'll be in Manila almost tomorrow. These empty shelves are left precisely in the harbor, consuming their shells! Hahaha! ”

Jiang Hui, commander of the Third Fleet of the Northeast Navy, said with a smile on his face: "Dashuai's idea is so wonderful, so that the United States and Italy can only sneak attack us, and we can only sneak attack these wooden shelves!" Then if we attack the American fleet and the Italian fleet, it will be tantamount to our self-defense counterattack, and the reason is on our side! Britain or something. There is no excuse for interfering with us anymore! ”

Sun Xitao, commander of the First Fleet of the Northeast Navy, said fiercely: "Marshal, this time our Northeast Navy must leave an eternal lesson for the US Navy and the Italian Navy!" ”

Lin Daxin nodded and said, "It's a must!" This time the US Navy and the Italian Navy came to Manila easily. It's not so easy to leave! ”

Lin then ordered all the people in the port of Manila to evacuate, leaving only one company of marines. And Lin Daxin ordered the Marine Corps to sound the alarm and retreat outside the port of Manila after discovering the American fleet and the Italian fleet.

Lin Daxin ordered 10 all-steel battleships of the Navy's First Fleet, 14 ironclad battleships of the Second Fleet, and 9 large fast armored cruisers of the Third Fleet to wait for the arrival of the American fleet and the Italian fleet in the waters northwest of the port of Manila.

The Bayonet and Sharp Knife of the submarine detachment cruised under the waters of Manila Bay, waiting for the arrival of the American fleet and the Italian fleet, looking for fighters and launching torpedo attacks on the warships of the two fleets.

Although the two submarines no longer have the battery-powered torpedoes purchased by Lin Daxin in modern time and space, the Shenyang Arsenal has developed a steam gas torpedo, which has a very good speed and range in addition to poor concealment. Coupled with the cross-era performance of the two submarines, the threat to surface warships is still very large.

Therefore, the preservation of the two submarines gave Lin Daxin the confidence to face the powerful combined naval fleet of Italy and the United States, and was confident of winning the final naval battle.

Sure enough, as Lin Daxin expected, after the arrival of the US-Italian joint fleet, when it was more than 8,000 meters away from the port of Manila, it bombarded the wooden shelves parked at the port wharf, and bombarded these big toys made by 100,000 soldiers and civilians day and night for several days, which were either shattered or bombarded into a big fireball.

Lin Daxin heard the sound of artillery bombardment from the direction of the port in the distance, and knew that his plan had succeeded, and immediately ordered the three fleets of the Northeast Navy to speed back to the port of Manila.

Lin Daxin stood in the bridge of the all-steel battleship Shenyang, the flagship of the First Fleet, looking at the dozens of warships of the US-Italy Combined Fleet in the distance on the sea, and his eyes burst out with an astonishing brilliance. (To be continued)