"The Germans, this is blackmail! It's blackmail! We can't change our course because of this, and the Germans are sure to make a big fuss about the transfer of the right to excavate, and we can't predict what outrageous price they will offer! But now their attempts to interfere in our policy in the Far East are already conditions that we cannot accept! "Secretary of the Navy Charles? Joseph? Bonaparte angrily slapped the table.

The Philippines was taken by the Germans first, and then the Germans continued to expand nearby, the Mariana Islands and the Caroline Islands almost all fell into the control of the Germans, and the Germans did not let go of Guam, Saipan, and Truk Island, which were important strategic fulcrums, and this situation was simply unbearable for the US Navy, and Dewey's fleet was even more humiliating when it ate the Germans' dismount in Manila, so the Navy had no good impression of the Germans at all.

The Panama Canal is an extremely important strategic transportation artery for the US Navy, and the Germans are now threatening the Nicaragua Canal if the Panama Canal project is really stopped, which will be a huge disaster for the US Navy.

And even if the Nicaragua Canal is opened in the future, the control of the canal is also in the hands of the Germans, and the Germans can even garrison troops there to protect it, which is also unacceptable to the US Navy, so the Secretary of the Navy is very annoyed by this and wants to respond to the Germans' blackmail with a tough attitude, but after all, national policy is not up to the Navy.

"So do you have any good ideas? Was the Navy sure of going to war with Germany and winning? "Secretary of the Army, William? Howard? Taft said lazily that he had been listless from morning till night, and that such a lazy tone sounded a little sarcastic, but it made the Admiralty Secretary speechless at once.

It is true that the strength of the U.S. Navy is growing rapidly. But if you want to start a war with Germany now, it is still not enough, and even if the United States has this strength, it is unrealistic to run to the North Sea with its navy, because there is still the world's naval boss in that town, how can the North Sea be where the United States wants to go?

As for the Pacific Fleet, it is impossible to clean up the German Far Eastern Fleet. The German armored cruiser is now a golden signboard, and the German Far East Fleet now has 2 Bismarck-class and 2 Elizabeth-class, and it is impossible to win by relying on the current protective cruisers of the Pacific Fleet.

And if you want to mobilize the main forces of the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Ocean, then you have to make a detour through the Drake Strait in South America. The current situation of the Russians is a lesson in the past.

As for the Army, it is even more incomparable, although a Spanish-American War was fought, but in fact the combat capability of the US Army has not been greatly improved, and the gap between equipment and European powers is even more obvious. Not to mention anything else, even the rifles in the hands of soldiers, the Americans have just been updated, and the new Springfield M1903 rifle can only be designed and produced with the technical authorization of the German Mauser/Schlegelmirch bolt.

The opponent is not the decaying Spain, but the first army now recognized in the world, and it is impossible to go to war.

The Secretary of War choked the Secretary of the Navy speechless, and the dignitaries in Roosevelt's office fell silent, for no one dared to say that they had a way to solve the unfavorable situation in which the initiative was now in the hands of the Germans.

But Secretary of State John? Hay took a more open view: "I think the Germans can consider accepting it. We would indeed like to see the unreasonable Russians fail, but if it is true that the defeat of the Russians will make Japan the dominant power in the Pacific Northwest, then we will still have nothing to gain.

It would be more beneficial for us to maintain the regional balance of power, and if that Emperor could really persuade Russia to allow our country to invest in Manchuria. Then we have no reason to refuse.

Of course, the Germans chose to sue us for the right to dig the Nicaragua Canal at this time, obviously with the intention of blackmailing, but the Germans did not make it public after all, because if it did, we would now be under pressure from the entire United States, and they would have more initiative in negotiating with us at that time, so I think it would be unwise to have a sense of confrontation with Germany in this matter. How to get the right to excavate at the lowest cost is what we need to consider now. ”

"What if the Germans just scared us? After all, the Nicaragua Canal is a huge amount of work, and it is not easy to open it. And it will inevitably be built later than the Panama Canal, so it is unclear whether the huge investment will pay off quickly. So the Germans probably didn't actually intend to dig the Grand Canal in Nicaragua. In fact, as Bonaparte said, this is just German blackmail, how likely is this? Roosevelt asked, he had guessed Jochen's intentions, but the possible consequences of his judgment forced him to be cautious: "If we make up our minds to ignore it, will the outcome be something we can afford?" ”

"We can't take such a risk, Your Excellency the President, once the news is made public, whether it is true or not, it will have a shock to our economy, and we cannot judge how big this impact will be and how long it will last, so as long as we do not completely tear our faces with the Germans, it is better not to make such a choice." Hay said.

"So we can only wait for the Germans to bid, and then bargain with them a little bit at the negotiating table?" Roosevelt said with a headache.

"I'm afraid so, Your Excellency." Hay nodded, then thought for a moment, and then spoke comfortingly: "But it may not be so bad, Your Excellency, I don't think the Germans want to have a stalemate with us, and it should be their main aim to reach an agreement with us on the Far East, and to be too harsh on us on the transfer of the right to excavate, obviously not wise in the long run, so we may not worry too much." ”

"May the German Emperor be a wise man." Roosevelt said helplessly.

Although it is impossible to talk about an alliance, it is still worth trying to promote economic, cultural and political exchanges between the two countries, reach an agreement on some issues, bring the two countries closer together, and create obstacles for the United States to enter the war as much as possible in the future.

The present situation was much better for Jochen than it was in history, and the Anglo-American proximity was largely due to the fact that Britain was the only European country that supported the United States during the Spanish-American War, and that it protected American companies in Spain during the war, and that there was no obstacle to the United States in snapping up two Brazilian cruisers ordered in Britain during the war.

And the concessions on the Panama Canal issue and the recognition of American rules in the waters of the Western Atlantic all led to a thaw in relations between the United States and Britain.

While the overall contradictions between the two countries are slowly disappearing, friction has persisted on minor issues, starting with the Monroe Doctrine, which the Americans see as their home in South America, and the British influence in South America.

In 1899, at the instigation of the Americans, Venezuela demanded 62% of the territory of western British Guiana, which almost led to a direct conflict between the two countries, and in the 1903 Venezuelan debt crisis, the British shelled the Venezuelan coastline, blockaded the ports, and seized ships, which led to the intervention of the United States.

As early as the early 90s, when Venezuela and Britain had a territorial dispute, the German government began to remind German investors to recycle their capital on the grounds that war was very likely to break out in the region.

So when Castro announced that he would not recognize the pre-1899 debt, Germany's losses in Venezuela had been minimized, so the German government put pressure on the Venezuelan government, but there was no need to make a big deal about it.

After the United States intervened, Germany was extremely cooperative with the American arbitration, so when Venezuela finally accepted the arbitration and was forced to repay part of its debts, Germany could also get a little bit of light.

In Western Samoa, Germany's early withdrawal and the transfer of Samoa to the British turned the original three-way quarrel into a quarrel between Britain and the United States, and finally the British and Americans divided Samoa.

The Philippines did not leave any chance for the Americans at all because of Germany's early and fast attack, although it suffered a dumb loss to the US Pacific Fleet at the beginning, but it did not make trouble in history. Dewey said to the officer who had come to deliver the message to Didrichs, who had come with the fleet to try to take prey: "Listen, tell your rear admiral, if he or his officers violate any of these orders, there will be only one result, don't hear me wrong, I am talking about this result is war." If you want to fight the United States, you can start a war in 5 minutes. This tense situation.

Without the Philippines, Germany's expansionist actions in the Caroline, Mariana, and Bismarck Islands would have no meaning for the United States, and the islands that would have been cut off from the Philippines and the United States are now just normal actions by Germany to control strategic points around the country in order to ensure the security of the Philippines.

Moreover, Germany also responded positively after the United States proposed the open door policy, so without the fermentation of this hostile relationship, the United States was far less hostile to Germany than it was in the past, which is also the source of Jochen's confidence that he came to the United States to believe that progress could be made. (To be continued) R655