Holy Roman Empire

As time passed, the war became more and more intense, the smile on Admiral Valkenhayn's face was long gone, replaced by a face full of sorrow.

The battle started at 10:00 a.m. and had lasted until 5:00 p.m. It was just as well if the stomach was hungry and croaking, but the key was that the enemy would not retreat.

Because of the lack of training hit touching, while fighting, the Japanese kept closing the distance of the engagement, trying to fight them in close combat.

After the warships suffered heavy damage, the Japanese first reaction was not to disengage from the battlefield, but to accelerate forward, trying to "crash" into them and die.

The Japanese are crazy, the Spanish fleet officers and men are still normal people. After the warships suffered heavy damage, the first time to choose to leave the battlefield.

As a matter of principle, these severely damaged warships, can no longer pose a threat, but the Japanese still cling to the dead.

The main ships to duel, no time to beat the downward dog, but stay in the rear to watch the sailing warships can.

Once the Spanish ships were off the battlefield, the Japanese sailing fleet cannon fodder swarmed in. Originally the sail battleship's cannon power was limited, it could not do anything to the ironclad, but this did not include the wounded ironclad.

The Japanese were willing to take human lives to fill the gap, sacrificing a few sail battleships, always able to take away a seriously injured ironclad.

In addition to these normal attacks, the Japanese also had a type of suicide attack ship, loaded with explosives, which they rushed up and detonated. They were forced to divide their firepower and deal with these small ships.

This life-for-life style of play could be said to be an original Japanese naval creation, not to mention encountered or even heard of before then.

A normal person would have a headache when encountering such a group of madmen. Admiral Valkenhayn was no exception, the original contempt had long since vanished, and now there was only deep scruples left.

"Report, the battleship Madrid has been hit, the ship has a leak and is being repaired. The captain, Rear Admiral Alfondas, was killed in action, and now Captain Wintergale is taking over command!"

Another nightmare arrived, and Valkenhain's heart sank, his face still indifferent as he said, "Got it!"

At this point in time, both sides were fighting for toughness. The Spanish fleet suffered heavy losses, and the Japanese fleet across the street suffered even heavier casualties.

The gap in the quality of warships, the gap in the quality of officers and soldiers, relying on quantity alone to make up for it, was doomed to bloodshed.

For the Spanish fleet, the most important thing right now is to beat the enemy's madness, or else the rest of the war is a disaster.

......

"Boom" a loud bang, the unfortunate hit "Tokyo" suffered a violent shock, and Admiral Ito Yukihiro, who was commanding the operation, sat down on the ground.

Despite the pain of the fall, Ito Yukihiro hastily ordered, "Send someone to repair the warship!"

Soon, a young officer ran over in panic, "Your Excellency, Commander, the Tokyo is badly damaged and must be pulled back to the shipyard immediately for repairs, or it will be dangerous."

There was no way around it, the British thin-skinned warships just didn't work. It was badly damaged after a few shots. In comparison, the warships built by the French across the street were much more resistant to a beating.

Of course, this is directly related to the construction time. The "Tokyo" was born more than ten years before the "Madrid". If they could not surpass the performance, the French would not have been able to challenge Britain's maritime hegemony back then.

When he received this bad news, Admiral Itoh Yukihiko, who had always been calm and collected, also lost his temper. He could accept the sinking of any other warship. But the "Tokyo" was different, not only was the flagship of the Japanese Navy, but also their only two "former dreadnoughts".

By the butterfly effect, the navy's development speed is faster than a decade, but the most benefited is the old-school power, for Japan this emerging country, but the gap is even greater.

It was hard to buy two second-hand "former dreadnoughts" from the British, and if they were lost now, it would be difficult to replenish them.

"Pulling back, you mean to say that the Tokyo's power system has been damaged and it can't be taken back?"

The young officer explained, "Yes, since the battle began, the Tokyo has been hit seven times by the enemy, and the power system has collapsed."

Looking at the battlefield, Ito Yuharu shook his head, "The Tokyo can't evacuate now, nor can we. Unless we hold out until dark, the enemy won't let us leave."

Originally, this battlefield was chosen because it was close to the port, making it easier to run away after the defeat. Unfortunately, plans didn't change quickly, and the desperate Japanese fleet actually fought the enemy half a dozen times.

"Heavy casualties" was no problem at all for Yukihiro Ito. As long as this war could be won, any heavy loss would be worth it.

It was important to know that this war was not just a war for the sake of war, but also a war against the powers.

The observation ships that were parked in the distance could not only be from the Holy Roman Empire, but also from the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, the Netherlands, the Qing Dynasty and a dozen other countries had sent observation ships. The performance of the Japanese navy at this moment would directly determine the position of the next countries towards them.

Otherwise, Ito Yuhei had eaten his fill before assembling so many forces to fight hard with the Spanish. Put part of the Spanish army ashore, let the army horse dung people also make a contribution to not fragrant?

From the very beginning, Ito Yuhei's aim was to leave an impression of a "daredevil" and "madman" to all countries, only in this way could the major powers be deterred and their prying eyes on the Philippine Islands be dispelled.

Otherwise, with Japan's current power, even if it defeated the Spaniards, it would not be able to keep the Philippine Islands.

The effect was so pronounced indeed that Governor Chandler, who was watching the war, had decided to revise his strategic plan for the seizure of the Philippines. He was not prepared to risk the South Pacific Fleet until he had gained native support.

The British, who had doubts about the fighting power of the Japanese and were hesitant to engage in support, are expected to make up their minds when this war is over.

......

The weather was fading, and under the cover of night, the warring sides withdrew from the battlefield. Along with the end of the naval battle, a telegram was flown from the Southern Ocean to the world.

Vienna Palace, looking at the results of the first Ironclad war in human history, Franz had a sense of relief that he couldn't explain.

Who won the war between Japan and the West?

It is unlikely that anyone can give an accurate answer to this question. In terms of the number of dead and sunken ships alone, the Spanish fleet was the proper winner; however, from an overall strategic point of view, the Japanese navy was the winner of the naval battle.

Breaking the myth of the white man's invincibility, with such a great achievement, any great loss would be acceptable.

"The naval battle has come to an end for the time being, according to the information sent by the Governor of the South Pacific, both the Japanese and Western navies have been seriously damaged, and a war should not break out again in a short time.

Next it's time for the Army to perform, how is the fighting strength of the Spanish Army, does it have the ability to take the Philippine Islands from the Japanese?"

The Philippine Islands have a very long coastline, and without defeating the Spanish Expeditionary Fleet, the Japanese Navy could not do a full defense.

With the poor relationship between the Japanese Army and Navy, no doubt the Navy would have been happy to see the Army. It would have been even better if the Army had been defeated and then had them out to clean up the mess.

"How is the Japanese Army's fighting strength, we haven't had any in-depth knowledge. But judging from their military expenses, the combat power shouldn't be too strong.

The Spanish Army's combat strength is mediocre, and judging by their performance in the war against France, it could even be considered very bad. Like their international status, they are definitely at the bottom of the list of powers.

Still, they should be better than the Japanese, and with an equal number of troops, I prefer the Spaniards."

It's not that Fislav despised the Japanese and the Spanish; the factors of absolute army combat power have changed since entering the Second Industrial Revolution. To use the most popular phrase to describe it is that "strong armies are fed by military spending".

Not to blow not black, the Japanese army's blood courage is indeed powerful, but in front of the steel flood, this stuff is not experienced.

Not to mention the Spanish Army, which wouldn't have completed its changeover by now if it hadn't become the victor of the Anti-French Alliance.

Had they been armed with the same outdated equipment, the Spanish cowboys really wouldn't have had much of an advantage over the Japanese Army. Now, despite the newer equipment, the Japanese were much closer to home!

With Spain's national power, it can't even play with the steel flood in its mainland, let alone in the Philippine Islands.

The biggest advantage of the Spanish now was probably the fact that the army equipment and ammunition were all trophies, saving some of the military expenses.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is keeping a close eye on the internal situation in Spain, so we can't let this war affect the peace and stability of the European continent!"

There is no doubt that Franz is not a fan of the Spaniard. There wasn't that much reason for it, just one reason - distance.

If the Spanish government had been a little more overbearing, and had just pressed all the main army and navy forces into service, they would probably have been able to make quick work of it.

Now this way the navy has committed most of its main force, but the army has sent only 100,000 or so, which seems to be a huge force, but loses the ability to strike a deadly blow.

You can hit the Philippine Islands, why can't you attack the Japanese mainland? The current Japanese government is not crazy yet, and if they really take the war to Tokyo, they are very likely to compromise.

Instead, sparring attrition with the Japanese in the Philippine Islands, which the Tokyo government did not feel deeply, would not only fail to deter the Japanese, but would inspire their madness.

Of course, such a fight would be somewhat demanding on Spain. Unless the Madrid government made a bloodthirsty effort to gain the support of the European countries, it would also be difficult to implement.

While Franz was preparing the aftermath, the protagonists of this war were each declaring themselves the victors. The Spaniards took the victory and the Japanese "broke the myth of the invincibility of the white man" to boost the morale of the people.

They were tough in their words, but very honest in their physical performance. After the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Japan and the West launched a diplomatic offensive in unison.

......

In Sulawesi, Governor Chandler, who had been harassed beyond his means, still received Admiral Valkenhayn. Compared to the previous contact, this time the Spanish were much more sincere.

There was no way around it, the fate of the expeditionary fleet was now in the hands of the South Pacific governor. While the Japanese could pull back to their homeland to salvage their damaged ships, the Spaniards had no way to pull their ships back to Europe.

So far away, they didn't wait for them to take the damaged warships back and they sank halfway through the journey. In fact, in the retreat of the Spanish fleet because of reefing, and sank two warships, including the severely damaged "Madrid".

Of course, they were not at a disadvantage, but the Japanese navy, as the enemy, also did not get the upper hand. On the way back home, the Tokyo, the flagship of the Japanese navy, was also sunk.

The sinking of a warship does not mean that it is scrapped, but if the damage to the hull is not too great, it can still be salvaged.

Admiral Valkenhayn was here to save the Madrid. Although the Vienna government expressed support for them, but the specific implementation is still the South Pacific Governor.

"Madrid" can be rescued, the warship repair how long, these specific issues still depend on the South China Sea Governor's support.

The colonialists in the South Pacific region will not not peep into the Philippine Islands, if not for the intervention of the colonial government, what will happen next, Valkenhain admiral can not imagine.

You can't expect these maintenance yards to be throttled, can you? He was going to do long-term business, and a short-term customer like the Spanish Armada didn't have the weight of speaking as a land colonist.

"Your Excellency Commander, you must understand that this is the South Seas, not Europe. The repair yard is not a shipyard, and it is normal for the technology to be flawed.

If you want to achieve perfection, I would personally suggest that your country should pull the warships back to Europe for repair. Here, we really can't guarantee quality."

The work has to be done, it's a treaty requirement. But exactly how it was to be done, that was to be said.

From Governor Chandler's standpoint, what he wanted most was for Japan and Spain to lose both, and then for the Japanese to continue to occupy the Philippine Islands.

Even if the Spanish took the case to Vienna, that was his position. As governor of the South Pacific, it was inherently a duty to find ways to expand the colonies. As long as one acted within the rules, no one could say otherwise.

Admiral Valkenhayn shook his head, "Your country's repair yard in the South Pacific is no ordinary repair yard, not to mention simple maintenance of warships, I'm afraid it can even build warships if needed. The technical strength shown right now is obviously not in line with the true technical capabilities of the repair yard.

We had an agreement with your country, and Madrid and Vienna have also agreed on this issue, and I'm afraid that this current performance of your maintenance yard is someone trying to destroy the friendship between the two countries!"

Chandler waved his hand, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid His Excellency has the wrong person. Regarding the technicalities of the repair yard, Your Excellency should be talking to the capitalists, not me, the Governor.

Perhaps the capitalists want to take advantage of the fire, you know the kind of thing they are good at, even our fleet they are just as extortionate."

Admiral Valkenhayn would have been on the verge of bursting out if he had not had a good upbringing. Not to mention in the Holy Roman Empire where capital was suppressed, even in other European countries where capital strength was relatively strong, there was no news of any shipyard daring to "extort" its own navy.

If the navy is offended, the shipyard will not be able to survive, even if it is blocked every day by the navy.

The military didn't deal with that many detours, and Admiral Valkenhayn couldn't remember that much diplomatic rhetoric, nor did he have time to bullshit here.

"What will it take for us to get your Excellency's help?"