Chapter 938 Blood Transfusion
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 think of our second-rate troops and distribute new weapons, equipment and supplies to us!" Greslin, who was transporting military supplies at the Manila Bay dock, said in surprise.
He held a 100% new rifle in his hand and praised it repeatedly: "This gun is 100% new, with no traces of use at all. I just don't know if it will be as useful as my old Mauser rifle."
"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.
"Gorkas, don't disturb my mood. It's always a good thing to change clothes. After all, we still rely on weapons to walk in the Philippines. The more advanced weapons are, the better we can save our lives. This is our most trusted partner." Slim said.
"Don't tell me, this rifle seems different from ours. Is its barrel shorter?" Gorkas suddenly asked.
Greslin 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 have to 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 is not even the slightest bit worse than Europe in all aspects.
"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 deserted land before. Who would have thought that it would be like this now? The United States can become such a world power, and the performance of East Africa in the South African War further proves that its military manufacturing foundation is not bad. "
Every time the South African War is mentioned, Britain is dragged out and whipped. Especially for the Spaniards, a country that can confront Britain head-on has a more convincing record. After all, the Spanish hegemony was lost when the Armada was destroyed by British pirates. The collapse 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."
General Anthony was a little dissatisfied with the East Africans' gesticulation. After all, where did you get a green onion to point fingers at us?
However, he still said pleasantly: "General Bruce, you might as well speak more clearly. If it is reasonable, our Manila base will definitely make corresponding arrangements."
Bruce said: "General Anthony, as a junior, my accumulation of combat experience is definitely not as good as your seniors, but I also participated in the South African naval battle and was the commander of the New Hamburg Naval Base at that time. The Navy of the Port of Hamburg is completely in name only. We are close to the Port of Durban in the UK to the south, so we have been at a disadvantage in the early stages of the war. Therefore, when facing the powerful British Navy, the Navy of the New Port of Hamburg can only rely on the terrain of the New Hamburg Port. Deal with the British army and persist until the war situation changes. "
Anthony nodded. He also had research on this naval battle and knew the competitive situation between New Hamburg Port City and Durban Port. However, he did not expect that the head of the East African Navy in New Hamburg Port City at that time was General Bruce.
“As one of the few large bays in the world, Manila Bay is far from comparable to the New Hamburg Port City. Only Maputo Bay in the north can compare with it. When the East African Navy attacked Portugal, Maputo Bay was A key offensive direction, and using this as a breakthrough, we finally achieved the encirclement of 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 To block it, we must use land strike forces and make good use of the bay terrain to be invincible.”
Anthony: "This is a bit alarmist! How could the United States launch an attack on the Philippines?"
Bruce: "Haha, the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet has already stationed in the Xiangjiang area last year, and Xiangjiang is now a British colony. Why do the British allow U.S. warships to enter here? Is it possible that the United States has thoughts about the Far Eastern 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 have come prepared. As for who to target, it obviously couldn't be the East Asian countries. After all, the coastal areas of the Far Eastern Empire from north to south have been regarded by various countries as It has its own sphere of influence, and each force is not easily provoked by the United States.
If they are cooperating with Britain to deal with Tsarist Russia, they 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, no one can do such a stupid thing as offending three world powers at once. , as for the southeastern sea area, it is dominated by Britain, France and Germany.
Bruce: "The U.S. Navy's long-term ocean training is obviously aimed at a certain region in Asia. Judging from the current relations between the United States and various countries, the possibility of 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 have the right time and place, and the Philippine colonial navy is not weak. , after all, the U.S. Navy is not going all out, they are also responsible for the Caribbean region, and once the general's negligence leads to serious consequences, I don't think Spain will not find a scapegoat..."
At this time, Anthony had nothing to say. What Lieutenant General Bruce said was true, especially what he mentioned about the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationing in Xiangjiang. He was obviously prepared. If he did not take action at this time, The post-war reckoning will definitely involve me.
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 will be a non-war crime. Spain has been operating the Philippines for hundreds of years. If it is defeated by outsiders who have only been training for more than a year, , that’s hard to argue with.
In fact, as the local military chief, Anthony also clearly knows that the Manila garrison has been in a state of "wasting time". The main reason is that the local peace has been peaceful for too long and has forgotten the war and gunpowder. If the United States raids Manila at this time, the result will definitely not be good-looking.