"In 1897, our army's total number hovered around 140,000, less than one-third of the armies of Germany and France, but military expenditure reached a new high, approximately four-fifths of Germany's. The main reason was the equipment of automobiles and other new tools and weapons, which drove Defense Army expenses to soar, while naval expenditure remained largely unchanged."

Although the East African Navy's budget wasn't small, it appeared quite conservative against the backdrop of rapidly increasing naval costs in other countries.

The naval expenditure constituted a large portion of East Africa's military expenses, so despite the army budget surging, East Africa's overall military spending remained within a controllable scope.

"Other major investments focused primarily on industry and infrastructure construction, hence cutting these expenses is absolutely out of the question."

"With the development of higher education and basic education, our education and scientific research expenditure now accounts for 9.7% of the national budget, while military spending only maintains around 13%. Therefore, East Africa's investment in education ranks high globally, equivalent to sacrificing military construction funds to support education, leading to many troops' equipment failing to get effectively replaced, especially evident in areas like artillery and other weapons."

Education funding and military expenditure in East Africa are already quite close. If not for international tensions, East African military spending might have room for further reduction.

This reflects East African government's support for educational and scientific pursuits, where education provides East Africa with highly skilled workers, while research shines through breakthroughs and innovations in industrial technologies.

...

Manila Bay.

In the blink of an eye, it's July, and since the last naval battle, the Spanish navy has completely stabilized their "avoid battle, preserve the fleet" strategy.

The Spanish navy firmly holds Manila Bay without venturing out, which certainly poses great trouble for the United States Navy. After all, it's not easy for the United States Navy to make a trip to the Philippines. If Spain capitalizes on geographical advantages to exhaust time against the United States Navy, they might win without a fight. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

After all, the United States Navy can't wander at sea indefinitely. If they can't break through Manila Bay, they either return home for resources to fight again, or find nearby ports to rest and resupply.

This isn't impossible to achieve—if they humbly communicate with the United Kingdom, it might be feasible. As for other surrounding nations, only the Netherlands, East Africa, and France are capable, but they won't do so.

"Regardless of the situation, we must seize Manila Bay tomorrow and cannot continue wasting time here with the Spaniards," stated Du Wei, the United States Asia Fleet Commander, with a firm attitude.

The carefully planned surprise attack didn't yield significant results, as the Spaniards made some preparations before the battle. Losing a warship on the first day was an unfavorable start, and naturally Du Wei couldn't let it go.

"But Commander, dealing with the Spaniards' mines and coastal defense artillery is tough. If we attack rashly, issues might arise. Wouldn't it be better to wait for ammunition and resource replenishment before launching an attack?" someone advised on the side.

Du Wei dismissed his subordinate's suggestion: "The Spaniards' mines are a big problem but not insurmountable. Tomorrow, the Raleigh-class Cruiser will lead the way, blasting a passage into the bay, followed closely by other warships. As for the coastal defense artillery on both sides, Olympia and Baltimore will handle them. Once we enter Manila Bay, the Philippine Navy will be a sitting duck with no ability to counterattack."

This move by Du Wei was essentially a gamble. If the Spanish navy and colonial troops were sufficiently disciplined and coordinated, the United States Navy's Asia Fleet could very well end up stranded in Manila Bay.

June 5, 1898.

The United States Navy launched another attack on Manila Bay, with the Raleigh Cruiser paving the way, firing directly at the waters ahead, stirring up huge waves on the surface.

Afterward, Raleigh sped toward Manila Bay, essentially becoming a "suicide ship" at that moment.

Besides cautiously navigating through the mine-laden area, it also had to cope with the Spanish coastal artillery assault from Manila Bay.

Sure enough, the Raleigh became a thorn in the eyes and flesh of the Spanish colonial defense forces. The artillerymen from both the north shore and central Corregidor Island opened fire on the Raleigh.

"Boom boom boom..."

Amid the loud explosions, the entire Raleigh was in a precarious situation, but perhaps due to lack of regular training, the Spaniards' first round of artillery fire missed, and the nearest shell landed over forty meters away from Raleigh.

This opened the eyes of the East African Military Advisory Group observing the battle from the northeastern coastal highlands.

"The Spanish colonial soldiers' quality is too poor. With dozens of artillery pieces in a relatively narrow area, they still can't achieve a guaranteed hit. The Raleigh's straight-line course is clear, and its speed can be directly observed, making hitting it not too difficult. We provided them with large-caliber cannons; it's simply wasting resources."

"The key now is to see if the Spaniards can achieve success, because if the Raleigh breaks through, it essentially means the Manila Bay naval battle can come to an early end."

Spanish defense forces and the United States Navy couldn't hear the cynical remarks from the East African Military Advisory Group. At this moment, both sides still controlled the war's direction according to their respective rhythms, with the Spaniards clearly at a disadvantage.

"Suppress the enemy's artillery fire!" With Du Wei's order given, even before the Spaniards could launch a new round of shelling, other U.S. warships began attacking Spanish gun positions on the shore.

Though at sea with shooting conditions hampered, the U.S. naval soldiers performed operations systematically, sending shells flying toward the Spanish artillery positions from both sides.

In a round, they managed to cripple two Spanish firing points, entirely reversing the performance between the two sides—like the Americans were firing ashore while the Spaniards were firing at sea.

"Tsk tsk, wonder if Spain can maintain their fighting spirit, their positions are likely frantic right now," commented the East African observer sarcastically.

Indeed, the U.S. Navy's gunfire plunged the forts and defensive positions' Spanish soldiers into chaos. In such conditions, those who managed to complete their attacks according to procedure were considered elites among the colonial troops.

As the Spanish cannons along both shores were suppressed, under Du Wei's command, the U.S. Navy began forcefully pressing into Manila Bay along the safe path traced by Raleigh.

However, under the Spanish artillery and torpedoes' constraints, the U.S. Navy's ability to act still remained limited. As U.S. ships flowed in, when targets increased, Spanish artillery finally showed efficacy, landing a shell right on the Baltimore's bow. Following this, Spanish colonial artillerymen seemed invigorated, exhibiting an utterly different performance than before.

Repeatedly hitting multiple U.S. warships, unfortunately most Spanish artillery lacked firepower, while the previously threatening firing points had long been focused on by the U.S. Navy, hence unable to achieve results.

Consequently, the U.S. Navy managed to break into Manila Bay, resulting in one sunken, one severely damaged, and three mildly damaged ships. At that moment, the Spanish Philippines fleet began to sortie, inflicting further harm to the United States Navy.

However, the difference between the two sides was too evident. Despite wounded U.S. warships, facing Spain's outdated vessels, they still maintained the upper hand.

By 3 PM, the U.S. Navy's Asia Fleet, despite bearing wounds, had utterly annihilated the Spanish Philippine colonial fleet, marking the commencement of the next phase in the Philippines' war situation.