March 28, 1946, Manila, Philippines.

In front of the Japanese Military Governor's Office in the Philippines, Mitsumi Kiyomizu, the commander of the 2nd Corps of the Southern Fleet, hurried down the steps and quickly got into a car with a closed curtain. The black car then drove to the dock under the front and rear guard of a row of tricycles and military trucks. When the convoy was walking through the downtown area, Mitsumi Kiyomi reached out to lift a corner of the curtains and looked at the Filipinos around with a cold look. Although most people avoided the Japanese convoy with a look of awe, the Japanese lieutenant general sensed the resentment and even hatred from the eyes of many people, which made his mood even heavier.

The Japanese army has occupied Manila for almost 13 years. The propaganda slogans for establishing a Greater East Asia co-prosperity circle and establishing a new Asian order can be seen on the streets and alleys. However, this hypocritical slogan that boasts of "liberation", "respect", and "independence" cannot stand the test of time. Japan has plundered resources from colonial countries such as the Philippines, which has mostly regressed in the living standards, medical conditions and even the freedom of the people in these countries and regions. Dissatisfaction among people from all walks of life is constantly growing. The wave of uprising in the South Asian subcontinent was undoubtedly a warning to the top Japanese leaders. Although the governors and puppet regimes stationed in various places have made some improvements to the living conditions and public facilities of the local people, the greedy nature and profit-seeking nature of vested interests have not undergone fundamental changes. The foundation of the Japanese-occupied area and the Japanese-controlled area

The people of the class still live in dire straits. Mitsumi Kiyomizu has never served as a military governor or other place, but has led a fleet to station many ports and witnessed and heard about the various events that occurred in those places. Even with his ruthless heart towards the enemy on the battlefield, he would inevitably feel angry and sad for those man-made tragedies. So when he learned that a nationwide uprising occurred in the Philippines, he did not think that this was a natural disaster without reason, but a man-made disaster over time. What made him feel helpless was that as a dedicated and dedicated naval officer, when his superiors ordered him to lead the fleet to maintain order and suppress the uprising, he had no choice. In Bengaluru, in Karasuri, he ordered fire on civilians holding simple weapons twice, which became the memory that has plagued him in recent years...

After the convoy arrived at the dock, Kiyomi Mizumi went straight back to her flagship "Izumo". This "Izumo" was not an old-fashioned armored cruiser participating in the Russo-Japanese War, but a new generation of heavy cruisers with a displacement of 20,000 tons. A total of 6 ships of its same class were built, which was the largest heavy patrol built by the Japanese Navy at a single level, so it was awarded the title of "Imperial Army Sea Iron Cavalry". According to the standards of the early 1940s, this equipment was equipped with 12 60-diameter 280mm main guns, and the main and secondary guns all adopted semi-automatic loading technology and were equipped with a Japanese radar detection and radar fire control system.

The heavy cruiser is a top-notch configuration. Its single-ship combat performance and fleet command capabilities have been greatly improved compared to traditional heavy cruisers. However, when the Japanese learned that the United States was ready to fight against Japan again, the pace of time had already arrived in 1946. The emergence of nuclear bombs made any conventional weapon pale. Rumors that the US military would use a large amount of atomic bombs on the front line caused panic among the Japanese army. You should know that it was a terrible weapon that was enough to razed half of Tokyo to the ground. Is its power not enough to destroy an entire fleet?

For the purpose of stabilizing the morale of the army, Mitsumi Kiyomizu hinted to her subordinates that Japan also possessed a new weapon of atomic bomb, but its operational technology was too complicated, so it was directly controlled by the Japanese base camp and was not assigned to the frontline troops and naval fleets. If the Americans used atomic bombs on the frontline, the Japanese base camp would definitely return the color. However, whether Japan had an atomic bomb as the government claimed, Mitsumi Kiyomizu was full of doubts, because no matter he was in the naval staff.

The classmates in the department are also fellow villagers who are engaged in the research of advanced weapons at the Imperial University of Tokyo. They are vague about his private inquiries and do not give positive answers. This abnormal behavior makes him feel that the Nagano Cabinet is using lies to cover up the facts. If the facts are true, then the Japanese Navy is facing a completely different situation from the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War II. Japanese ships may be like Takamori Saigo, holding cold weapons to fight the other party's machine guns and cannons with cold weapons!

Back to the flagship, before the hot stool was sitting on the ship, the officer on duty came hurriedly to report that his land-based radar detected an unidentified aircraft group in an area about 200 kilometers east of Luzon, and initially judged that its size was about 600. Mitsumi Kiyomi suddenly widened her eyes and clenched her fists. What is the concept of 600 aircraft? According to the limit lightning calculation of a aircraft carrier carrying 100 aircraft and half of the aircraft carriers in one attack, this means that the enemy has invested at least 12 aircraft carriers in one breath to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese army on Luzon! Moreover, although there are reports that the US Congress has authorized war, the United States has not officially declared war so far. Could democratic countries like the United States also learn from Japan to take a sneak attack that fights first and then announces?

At this time, there were more than 120 Japanese ships anchored in Manila, most of which were long-term guard patrol ships stationed in the Philippines. Their frontal combat power was basically negligible. The most advanced ones were the ships under the 1st fleet of the Southern Fleet commanded by Mitsumi Shimizu, including 2 light aircraft carriers, 3 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 9 destroyers, 12 minesweepers, and 7 auxiliary ships of various types.

Putting such a fleet on the sea has no chance of winning against 600 carrier-based aircraft, but Manila is different. It is a colonial fortress operated by the Japanese Navy, and it has built a large number of coastal and air defense fortifications. Not to mention the carrier-based aircraft brought by Mitsumi Kiyomi, there are more than 500 army and air force fighters stationed at nearby airports, and a complete land-based radar warning system was established. More than three weeks ago, Mitsumi Kiyomi led a team to Manila.

The first thing he did was to visit the Japanese military governor and senior army and air force officers stationed in the Philippines, and quickly establish a cooperative relationship of mutual trust and mutual support with them. After an abnormal movement in the United States, he sent the team's only reconnaissance cruiser carrying super-powered warning radar to the eastern waters of the Philippines. All ships that continued to stay in Manila also put on wartime alert, which means that they can quickly enter combat after receiving the instructions.

After hesitating for a moment, Mitsumi Kiyomi ordered all ships to guard their battle positions and fight with all their might. To make such a decision, we should take certain risks, because the aircraft carrier is a vulnerable target in a state of still water. An enemy aircraft, a bomb, and a successful dive bombing may cause it torpedo damage. But at the same time, the lightning protection nets arranged around the berth can maximize the resistance to torpedo attacks from enemy aircraft. If the hull is seriously damaged, there is still a chance to strand and wait for assistance.

While the Japanese crew quickly rushed to their respective combat posts, a low air raid sirens sounded in downtown Manila, and the Japanese fighter jets stationed at the surrounding airports also took off one after another. They circled over the port, and then flew eastward. Mitsumi Kiyomi took his officers to the open-air bridge and looked at the direction of the rising sun with a serious expression. However, the scene of the enemy planes appearing in groups did not appear. After about half an hour, news came from the garrison headquarters that the previous enemy report was a false alarm caused by technical problems. There were only seabirds and no enemy planes east of Luzon Island...

Upon hearing this news, Mitsumi Kiyomizu did not get furious or sarcastically at the Army. He thought it was a reaction drill that was close to actual combat. The officers and soldiers of each ship were as calm and capable as ever. This was the magic weapon for the Japanese Navy to defeat the enemy.

After some trouble, Manila Bay returned to tranquility. However, later that day, the reconnaissance ship sent by Kiyomizu sent back the enemy. Their radar found a large number of enemy aircraft in the southeastern waters of Luzon, with a number of about 700-8,000, and the location was 600 kilometers away from Manila...

With the Army's "learning from the past", Mitsumi Kiyomizu did not rush to prepare for war, but ordered the police ship to eject a water reconnaissance plane to confirm. As a result, only twenty minutes later, the enemy's alarm was verified to be a false alarm again. However, the army and naval radars successively showed false alarms, which made Mitsumi Kiyomizu alert, whether the Americans had any way to interfere with their own radar and thus disrupt their own vision. If this was indeed the Americans' deception, it means that their attack might be close.

Thinking of this, Kiyomi Mizumi hurriedly sent a telegram to his boss, Keno Kurita, the commander of the Japanese Navy's Southern Fleet, reminding him that the Americans might attack in the near future, and suggested that he send reinforcements to the Navy's General Staff Headquarters and deploy the Fleet Command together with the 1st Team with three main aircraft carriers to a more defensive position. In his call, Kurita expressed his gratitude to him for his suggestions and reminders, and revealed that he was making arrangements in this regard.

At around 9 o'clock that night, the Japanese garrison command of the Philippines sent a warning to Shimizu Mizumi again. Their land-based radar detected a large group of aircraft attacks in the northeast of Luzon Island. The preliminary judgment was about 800 aircraft. Obviously, it was because it felt that the credibility of this number was not high. The garrison command emphasized in the telegram that the possibility of another technical problem of radar equipment was not ruled out.

Mitsumi Kiyomizu did not take a lucky look, but unambiguously ordered all officers and soldiers to prepare for war with the enemy. But not long after, the garrison headquarters once again confirmed that this was a "regrettable technical failure". Mitsumi Kiyomizu said in a reply that it was beneficial and harmless to remain highly vigilant, and even if there were a few more false alarms, it would be fine. However, the officers of the garrison headquarters severely scolded the on-duty personnel of the land-based radar station, accusing them of making the army "faceless". It was this bureaucratic practice that caused their land-based radar station to hesitate and fail to report when it actually detected the enemy situation, which led to a major disaster...

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Chapter completed!