Chapter 938: Blood Exchange
March 17, 1898, Manila.
A fleet of merchant ships made an emergency landing in Manila Bay, where the Spanish colonial troops in the Philippines received their supplies.
“Is today an important holiday? I really can’t imagine that the mainland will still think of our second-rate troops and distribute new weapons, equipment and supplies to us!” Grai was carrying military supplies at the Manila Bay pier. Silin said in surprise.
He held a 100% new rifle in his hand and praised it repeatedly: "This gun is 100% new, with no trace of use at all. I just don't know if it is as good as my old Mauser rifle." Use.”
"Don't look at it, a gun is just a murder weapon. After using it for a few months, you will probably get tired of it." said comrade Gorkas.
“Golkas, don’t disturb my mood. Changing clothes is always a good thing. After all, we still rely on weapons to walk in the Philippines. The more advanced the weapons, the better they can save lives. This is what we trust the most. partner," Greslin said.
"Don't tell me, this rifle seems different from ours. Is its barrel shorter?" Gorkas suddenly asked.
Graslin looked at it carefully: "Really, this is probably the latest model of Mauser rifle. Looking at it this way, we really picked it up this time!"
At this time, the commander of Greslin and Gorkas, Verica, came over and said: "The rifle shipped this time is the m1895c Mauser rifle produced in East Africa. It is specially used for tropical jungle combat and is more suitable for the environmental characteristics of the Philippines. So you should get started as soon as possible. I heard that East Africans will send instructors in two days to help you master the use of the rifle and corresponding tactics as soon as possible.”
Greslin: "Company Commander, are the weapons in East Africa reliable? The previous Mauser rifles were developed by Germany after all. East Africa..."
It is normal for Greslin to have doubts. After all, East Africa has strong military capabilities in all aspects. It's not even the slightest bit worse than Europe.
"So we did not purchase in large quantities, and unfortunately our troops were selected to be equipped with this new rifle." Verica did not defend himself at all.
He also believes that it is inappropriate to change weapons and equipment now. First of all, there are doubts about the East African military manufacturing industry. Secondly, any weapon has a familiarization process.
“However, the government has gone to great lengths to help us replace it with new equipment, which shows that this new weapon has its advantages, and we cannot look at the country in East Africa with the same old eyes. The United States was not a barren land before. Who would have thought that the United States could become such a world power today? East Africa's performance in the South African War further proves that its military manufacturing foundation is not bad. ”
Every time the South African War is mentioned, Britain has to be dragged out and beaten to death. Especially for the Spaniards, a country that can fight the British head-on has a more convincing record. After all, the Spanish hegemony was lost when the Armada was destroyed by British pirates. The destruction of the army began.
Of course, that is already a long time ago, but every Spaniard must miss the time when Spain spanned four oceans.
……
At the same time, East African military personnel have entered Manila Bay in advance.
"General Anthony, when I arrived, I had carefully observed the situation in Manila Bay. If you prepare for war with this mentality, it may cause an indelible shadow." Regarding the East Africans' gesticulations, General Anthony is a little dissatisfied. After all, where did you get a green onion to point fingers at us?
However, he still said kindly: "General Bruce, you might as well speak more clearly. If it is reasonable, our Manila base will definitely make corresponding arrangements."
Bruce said: "Anthony General, as a junior, my accumulation of combat experience is definitely not as good as your seniors. However, I also participated in the South African Naval War and was the commander of the New Hamburg Naval Base at that time. At that time, the New Hamburg Navy was completely Just nameless In fact, our south is close to the British Port of Durban, so we have been at a disadvantage in the early stages of the war. Therefore, when facing the powerful British Navy, the New Hamburg Port City Navy could only rely on the terrain of the New Hamburg Port to deal with the British army, and He persisted until the war situation changed."
Anthony nodded. He also had research on this naval battle and knew the competitive situation between New Hamburg Port and Durban Port, but he did not expect New Hamburg Port at that time. The head of the city's East African Navy is General Bruce.
“Manila Bay, as one of the few large bays in the world, is far from being comparable to the New Hamburg Port City. Only Maputo Bay in the north can compare with it. When the East African Navy attacked Portugal at that time , Maputo Bay was a key offensive direction, and used this as a breakthrough to finally encircle the Portuguese army in Mozambique," Bruce said.
"Therefore, in my opinion, if Manila Bay is used as a naval base of a powerful country, it will naturally be a geomantic treasure. But the potential enemies you face, the U.S. Navy is far superior to you. The power of the Spanish colonial navy alone cannot block, so it must be combined with land strike force, Only by making good use of the Gulf terrain can we be invincible."
Anthony: "It's a bit alarmist! How can the United States launch an attack on the Philippines?"
Bruce: "Haha, the US Navy is in the Pacific. The fleet had already stationed in Xiangjiang last year region, and Hong Kong is now a British colony, why did the British allow American warships to enter this area? Is it possible that the United States has thoughts about the Far East Empire? As far as I know, the United States has been actively training since last summer, and now at this juncture in Cuba..."
Bruce didn’t say much. , the Americans entered the British colonies for training in advance, so they must be well prepared. As for who to target, it is obviously not possible to be the East Asian countries. After all, the coastal areas of the Far East Empire from north to south have been regarded by various countries as their own sphere of influence. , and not every force can be easily provoked by the United States.
If you are cooperating with Britain to deal with Tsarist Russia, you should go to Yingkou in the north for training instead of Xiangjiang. As for the other northern sea areas, East Africa, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have intertwined interests. Obviously, it is stupid to offend three world powers at once. No one has been able to do it yet. As for the southeastern sea area, it is dominated by Britain, France and Germany.
Bruce: "This long-term ocean training of the U.S. Navy is obviously aimed at a certain region in Asia. Judging from the current relations between the United States and other countries, the possibility of doing so in the Philippines is at least 60%."
There is still a 40% possibility that the United States just wants to show off its power in the waters of the Far Eastern Empire and then force the Far Eastern Imperial government to give up greater interests. Of course, the two can be done at the same time, that is, it can pressure the Far Eastern Imperial government and at the same time prepare for the invasion. The Philippines prepares.
Bruce then added to the anger: "Cuba is under the nose of the United States. If it loses, there will be enough excuses. As for the Philippines, it is not necessarily the case. After all, you still have the right time and place, and the Philippine Colonial Navy The strength is not weak in the first place. After all, the U.S. Navy is not going all out. They are also responsible for the Caribbean region. Once the general's negligence leads to serious consequences, I don't think Spain will not find a scapegoat..."< br>
At this time, Anthony was completely speechless. What Lieutenant General Bruce said was true, especially what he mentioned about the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed in Xiangjiang. He was obviously well prepared. If at this time If he doesn't take action, he will definitely be indispensable for the post-war liquidation.
After all, the Philippines is different from Cuba. Cuba is under the nose of the United States. Even if the Cuban garrison is defeated, it is a non-war crime. Spain has been operating the Philippines for hundreds of years. If it is only trained It is hard to argue with the defeat of outsiders who have been here for more than a year.
In fact, as the local military chief, Anthony also knew clearly that the Manila garrison had been in a state of "wasting time". The main reason was that the local peace had been peaceful for too long and the war and gunfire had been forgotten. If the United States raided Manila at this time, the result would definitely not be good.
(End of this chapter)