"What we are facing is not a rabbit, nor a wolf, but a tiger!" Dewey wrote in his diary. The news quickly spread in the fleet. When he heard that the Japanese had four Japanese armored cruisers, almost all of them showed a dark color of concern to the point of view.

"I suggest that the fleet retreat immediately. If a decisive battle is going to happen, I hope we can be in Molo Bay, not in Manila Bay." After hearing the news, Essen suggested Dewey to retreat immediately in a very tactful tone. Fighting at the opponent's home court is really too troublesome for the supply and post-war maintenance of the US fleet.

At this time, when the US and Russian officers gathered together to discuss countermeasures, the sky was gradually brightening. When the sun shone on the earth again, Americans had the opportunity to appreciate their achievements last night! In this one-way massacre, the entire Japanese landing ground was destroyed, and thousands of tons of various materials and nearly a hundred ships were burned. Even though it was still far away from the landing ground, Americans could still clearly see the charred ground and the scent of the items coming from the pavement.

"Last night, we killed at least 3,000 Japanese. They would go crazy." Shelley said, pointing to the landing ground outside the window.

"To a certain extent, this is an accident, but from another perspective, it is inevitable. The United States absolutely does not allow the Japanese to occupy the Philippines! So sooner or later we will fight the Japanese, but fortunately, we have severely damaged the other party's landing troops without any defense. Everyone should not worry about the moral and legal issues. Before that, we had already made formal negotiations with the Japanese about the Philippines. Occupy Philippines is equivalent to declaring war! The Japanese have declared war on the United States with facts!" Dewey said.

"I think everyone knows the specific enemy situation. With the help of the British, Japan won not have 2 armored cruisers but 4. Our situation became a bit passive. So I want to know what everyone thinks." Dewey then scanned the entire venue.

"We consumed some ammunition in the battle, and the coal burning and supply were not enough. I support Colonel Essen's opinion and withdraw the fleet first, and then wait until domestic assistance before competing with the Japanese. If possible, I hope Russia can invest more troops. After all, the strength of the Japanese fleet has exceeded that of your country's Far East Fleet. Only when we join forces can we have a chance!" Shelley said to Essen.

Everyone has reached a consensus on the issue of avoiding the edge for the time being. Just as Dewey was about to end the meeting, Majiphin, who was behind, suddenly put forward his own opinions, and this opinion sounds a bit alarmist to outsiders!

"I suggest that the Marines that have landed are evacuated inland immediately and avoid the other side's fleet. The naval fleet will immediately return to Samoa and retreat to Hawaii after supplying them to wait for the arrival of reinforcements!" First, it was due to the opinions of Shelley and Essen. Majiffen's opinions were more conservative. In Dewey's view, there was even a tendency to escape! And in this way, for a long time, the troops that had landed on the Philippines would be isolated and helpless.

"This is impossible!" Dewey flatly refused.

"I know the risks, but the Japanese will definitely come to take revenge. If we are defeated, the United States of America will no longer be able to organize such a powerful fleet! We will only have a chance after waiting for the battle fleet to arrive. Before that, we must preserve our strength." Majifen was very optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the US military. At least in his opinion, the Japanese Navy's artillery performance in the Qing and Japanese war was much higher than that of the US Navy. When the opponent's hardware strength was already superior, he was very unfavorable to the result of this battle!

"Mr. Majiphin, your thoughts are very dangerous, but I and everyone here can pretend that they didn't hear them. Don't let me hear similar words again. Okay, the meeting will be over now." Dewey frowned slightly. Although he agreed with Majiphin's suggestion from the bottom of his heart and knew that the latter's method was more secure, it was difficult for him to make this decision for political and various reasons, so he decided to put this suggestion on the spot. When it was seven o'clock the next day, the US fleet began to evacuate to the south, and all warships sailed at a speed of 15 knots, which was the maximum speed that the battleship Iowa could achieve.

Just 4 hours after the US fleet left, the Japanese fleet finally arrived at the waters of the accident! Although the Japanese were attacked suddenly, a telegram was sent out! When Shiki Karayama heard that the Manila landing ground was attacked, he was frightened! His first task was to guard the landing ground, but the ground was smashed! Thousands of casualties and thousands of tons of materials could not be compensated even if he led the entire senior management to seduce the stomach! Because he was greedy for a warship, the landing army suffered heavy losses...

"Everyone, we have no way out. If we cannot completely destroy the American fleet, the consequences will be unimaginable. Our lives are not worth mentioning, but the great cause of the empire will be devastating! We can only fight to the end." Shiki Karayama paused, took a deep breath and continued: "The rise and fall of the empire is here! His Majesty the Emperor and the empire hope that every naval officer and soldier will do their best!"

"The despicable Americans brazenly launched an attack on the empire without declaring war. This is a provocation and an act of trampling on the moral bottom line of human beings. Therefore, in the future battle, we do not need to consider the so-called international law and international practices. We have only one task, that is, to kill all Americans!" In the venue, Shiki Kawayama did not hide his anger and murderous intent! Japan was the ancestor of undeclared war! After suffering such a big loss today, we can't just let it go! Even if the British representative present suggested that the Japanese deal with this issue calmly, it would still be useless. If the order was issued soon, it would be inevitable that the decisive battle of the US and Japanese fleets would be inevitable!

A few minutes later, the z-flag was raised on the mast of the flagship Fuji of the Japanese Joint Fleet! The Japanese fleet did not enter the inside of Manila Bay to explore the details. After apologizing to the dead comrades who fired cannons, all the Japanese fleets sailed south at a speed of 19 knots! The Japanese's idea was very simple, either destroy the American fleet or use the Americans on the landing field to attack!

One has a speed of 19 knots and the other has a speed of 15 knots. In theory, it is only 4 hours apart. The two sides are about 60 nautical miles apart. In other words, if it is a simple pursuit, they will meet in at most 15 hours. However, because the two sides are not chasing in a straight line, the time is a little longer. At noon on the third day of the Battle of Manila, the Japanese fleet can finally see the smoke pillars shipped out of the US fleet! A war is about to begin!
Chapter completed!