1890 King of Southeast Asia

At 2:08 a.m. on October 29, 14 warships turned on their searchlights and slowly sailed out of the Manila naval port.

The Manila naval port was under martial law 15 days ago, before the arrival of the Chinese Return Fleet, so there were not many ships in the port.

What was strange was that before the fleet set out, all the searchlights on the shore of Manila Bay were turned off, and the entire Manila could only see the lights from the warships.

At 3:15, the fleet covered with lights completely left Manila Bay, and the Manila naval port began to lift martial law.

In the dense jungle in the north of Manila Bay, several shadowy figures were holding some odds and ends to observe the entire process of the fleet's departure.

"Kamimura-kun, did you see clearly which warships they were? Is it the Chinese naval fleet?" Mashiro Eto put down the telescope and rubbed his sore eyes.

"Inoue-kun, is the Chinese naval fleet still staying in the port?" Kamimura Shu didn't see clearly, but he also guessed that it was the Chinese Return Fleet.

After all, the number can match, and the size ratio of the warships can also match.

"No, I didn't see any shadows." Inoue Murakami stared at the telescope in his hand, looking at the place where the Huaxia fleet was parked in the past ten days.

The moon was not visible at the end of the month, it was very dark, and the Manila Naval Port turned off most of the lights, so we could only observe by starlight.

The starlight was very vague, and it was a superhuman act to observe from a distance to determine whether there was anything.

"Report to the General Staff and the Army and Navy Headquarters that at 3:15, a fleet of 14 warships had left the Manila Naval Port."

"It was too dark, we can only confirm that there were two large warships and twelve small and medium-sized warships. The specific situation is not clear yet. We can only draw conclusions after observing the port after dawn."

Uemura thought about it and reported truthfully.

In order to keep it secret, the Japanese did not tell these intelligence personnel about the upcoming attack on Huaxia.

So these people did not know that Japan was preparing to intercept the Huaxia returning fleet at sea.

They just thought that this was normal surveillance behavior and did not seem very urgent.

"Retreat, it's not safe here..."

…………

At 5:36 a.m. on the 29th, the telegram was transmitted to the Japanese Navy General Staff (whose status and functions are equivalent to the Army General Staff).

Soon, the disheveled Kato Tomosaburo and Shimamura Hayao rushed to the General Staff.

"Shimamura-kun, have you read the telegram?" Kato Tomosaburo was still fastening his belt when he got off the car.

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"I have read it. This turtle fleet has been lying in Manila for so long, and finally thought of returning home." Shimamura Hayao buttoned up his shirt, put on his hat, and said with a little teasing.

"Yes, it's not easy! It's just a supply, but it has stayed in Manila for more than ten days. If it drags on, the Prime Minister may let the army attack first!" Kato Tomosaburo said with emotion.

Japan did not have enough time to wait, so when the Chinese fleet squatted in Manila and remained motionless, it seemed very anxious.

They urgently need to start a war, divert conflicts, and stabilize the country. If the navy does not take action, the government's attention will definitely be on the army.

"Fortunately, they are out!" Shimamura Hayao walked to the edge of the huge map.

"Let's start!" Shimamura Hayao said to the staff officer beside him.

"Hai!" The staff officer lowered his head.

"According to intelligence, at 2 a.m. today, a fleet of 14 warships began to move and sailed out of Manila Bay at 3:15 a.m."

"These include two large warships and twelve small and medium-sized warships."

"After leaving Manila, the fleet headed northwest at a speed of about ten to twelve knots."

"After confirmation, the original berth of the Huaxia Return Fleet in Manila Bay is empty."

"We believe that the warships that left Manila Bay this time are the Huaxia Return Fleet."

"They set off at night in order to evade our surveillance. China may have some speculation about the Empire's actions."

After the staff officer finished speaking, he stepped aside and gave the stage to the two admirals.

"Two large warships and twelve small and medium-sized warships just match the data of the Huaxia Return Fleet." Shimamura Hayao nodded.

"The Empire's ability to keep secrets is obvious to all. The Chinese should not know in advance. It is understandable that the fleet is cautious in your country." Kato Tomosaburo said on the side.

The two thought whether this was a trap, but the thought was only fleeting.

First, the Japanese were mysteriously confident in themselves and believed in their ability to keep secrets. Secondly, Japan's innate attitude towards China was inferiority and arrogance.

Of course, more importantly, Japan could not wait any longer. They could only believe that this fleet was the Chinese fleet returning.

"Send a telegram to Sasebo, the First Battle Fleet will attack secretly, the target is the East China Sea, and intercept the returning fleet of the Chinese Empire." Shimamura Hayao decisively gave the order.

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"The time limit is fifteen days. If the returning fleet is not found after fifteen days, the First Battle Fleet should immediately launch an attack on Shanghai." Kato Tomosaburo added.

"Hai!"

On the afternoon of the 29th, the Sasebo Naval Base began to get busy, and a large amount of supplies were replenished on board.

In the early morning of the 30th, nearly twenty ships, including five cruisers, led by four battleships, left Sasebo and headed south.

The excuse for their departure was to deal with the provocation of the South China Empire Navy.

Not long after, the Japanese military headquarters issued several mobilization messages. In theory, these warships were transferred to various ports north of Sasebo.

What is the reality? They are sailing southwest on the vast ocean, and finally stopped in the waters 500 nautical miles east of Zhoushan, which is not on the main shipping route.

More than a dozen destroyers were sent out by the Japanese as scouts, while the battleships and cruisers stayed on the spot to recuperate.

…………

"Your Majesty, as you said, there was a sudden large-scale mobilization of the Japanese Navy, and a total of four battleships were transferred elsewhere."

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"The reconnaissance airship has set off to the East China Sea to determine the location of the Japanese fleet."

"What should we do next? There is a lot of commotion in Europe, but they are still very restrained. It may be difficult to fight in a short time."

Jiang Wang asked.

"It's not that they can't fight, but they lack a reason to fight. Even if they have to fight, it's just a reason."

"Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Italy and Austria are all great countries with a long history. Domestic forces are intertwined. It's actually difficult to make them irrational."

"The Balkans are different. Have they arranged everything?"

Liu Yiming didn't say anything to the Japanese side, but was concerned about the progress of the entire plan.

"Our arrangements in Bulgaria have been completed and can be launched at any time." Jiang Wang lowered his head and said softly.

As a group of people who understand the international situation best in the entire South China, Jiang Wang clearly knows what consequences their arrangements will lead to.

Although the Balkans is a very small area, its geographical location is very special. It is directly in the conflict zone between the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire.

Originally, Liu Yiming wanted to do the same as in history, to provoke the contradiction between Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so as to start a war.

After all, history has given the answer, and Liu Yiming only needs to copy the homework.

But maybe the butterfly effect is too big. In this history, in the first Balkan War, Turkey withdrew from the war decently without much loss.

The Balkan coalition, with the support of the two major camps, barely withdrew from the battle decently. Although it did not sign a treaty of defeat, it was almost considered a defeat.

There was no opportunity for the outbreak of the Second Balkan War. The Balkan countries did not experience multiple victories, and their self-confidence had not yet swelled.

Fanatics usually appear with continuous victories in wars, but not this time. The organizations that emerged from minority ethnic groups (difficult to pronounce, no way) were not so impulsive.

So, Liu Yiming's plan fell through.

However, fortune and disaster are interdependent. Just when Liu Yiming was looking for a new fuse, another country in the Balkans, Bulgaria, which was besieged in the original Second Balkan War, appeared in front of him.

Yes, now that the Second Balkan War has not been experienced, the formation of the last Balkan coalition has led to good relations between many Balkan countries (except Turkey).

Even the main countries in the Balkans, Serbia, Herzegovina, Albania, and Bulgaria are all Slavs.

But the Bulgarian Tsar, he is not a Slav! Not even a Bulgarian!

It's very strange. Under the European inheritance system, Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I was a great nobleman from Germany.

In this way, Ferdinand I was more keen on interests rather than inexplicable friendship.

What is interest?

The Balkans in the early twentieth century was a chaotic region dominated by expansionism and fanatical nationalism.

Under the control of this trend of thought, many Balkan countries united and launched the Balkan War. If successful, they could tear off a piece of fat from the Ottomans and make a lot of money.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen, so the strength of the Balkan countries has changed greatly compared with history.

First of all, as the Ottoman Empire took back the Autonomous Province of Eastern Rumelia (close to the Principality of Bulgaria, inclined to Bulgaria.), Bulgaria's power was greatly reduced.

However, the Bulgarian army did not suffer a big blow. After regaining Eastern Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire set its main target on Serbia.

From the direction of Eastern Rumelia, a two-pronged attack was launched on Serbia, and Serbia paid a heavy price to defend its borders.

The result was that Bulgaria's sphere of influence was severely reduced, but the main force of the army was preserved.

Serbia maintained its territorial integrity, but the army suffered heavy losses, with more than 50,000 casualties or missing in the war.

You know, Serbia only had 400,000 troops after full mobilization, which was a serious blow to its vitality.

What did Liu Yiming do? He just gave Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I an excuse, an excuse to start a war...