At the ensuing discussion meeting, Jochen's Tiyì was given a ton, and the Navy decided to change the original plan of 10 small cruisers to 10 1,400-ton superocean-going torpedo boats and two 5,000-ton light cruisers.

At the meeting, the name of the ocean-going torpedo boat could no longer conform to the nature of the increasingly large and diverse mission of the ocean-going torpedo boat, so this need to have a new name that was more compatible, and the name of the Russian fleet mine-striking ship limited the combat mission too narrowly, so it was decided to adopt the name of the British, torpedo boat destroyer, or destroyer for short.

And the original habit of using the shipyard's initials as a number for ocean-going torpedo boats is no longer applied, and all destroyer ships have their numbers starting with Z, and they are numbered in the order of the water. From the 1895 project to the lead ship began to implement the new nomenclature convention.

The new ships of the 1400 class are named destroyer lead ships, and the port number is ZF with a number at the beginning, but the destroyer lead ship can have a ship name other than the ship number, and destroyers do not have this treatment.

Both new ships sacrificed armor protection, so the speed index was raised, and the destroyer leader was required to sail at no less than 25 knots, while the light cruiser had to go at least 23 knots.

As a larger version of the Type 1895 destroyer, the destroyer lead ship requires that the armament be arranged along the central axis, with no less than 5 105-mm rapid-fire guns and no less than 8 torpedo tubes.

Light cruisers, on the other hand, were required to install 150-mm rapid-fire guns, with no less than 6 side projection firepower and no less than 4 torpedo tubes.

Once the performance indicators are set, the designers will work on their own, and the Navy will wait for the time to evaluate them. However, the construction plan for the construction of the Type 1895 destroyer with steam turbines was finalized, and all other indicators remained unchanged except for the change from the original four-axis propulsion of the test ship to the two-shaft propulsion. Construction work was scheduled to begin at the end of 1898.

While the Germans were racking their brains to build up their naval power, the Americans were eager to make their naval activities active on the other side of the ocean.

Just after a light snowfall in Washington in December, a BMW car stopped in front of the White House, and the entourage pulled open the door of the back seat after getting out of the car, and a burly man stepped out of the car. Although slightly blessed. But the eyes behind the nose and glasses are cold, and it can be seen that he is a tough person with a firm will.

"Mr. Deputy Minister, Mr. President is waiting for you." The waiter at the White House said politely.

After handing the bowler hat and coat to the waiter and nodding his head in thanks, Mr. Deputy Minister walked into the president's office.

"Theodore, you're here? What to drink? "William, the 25th President of the United States of America? McKinley greeted happily.

The person who came was none other than Theodore, the assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy who had not been in office for a long time? Roosevelt, under Secretary of the Navy John? Rondo has been sick for a long time, regardless of the internal affairs of the Admiralty, Theodore? Roosevelt was actually the first brother of the U.S. Navy. And when President McKinley knew nothing about the Navy, Roosevelt was trusted. Under the delegation of power by the president, the power is monopolized.

"A cup of coffee, thank you." Roosevelt asked the waiter for a cup of coffee and sat down at the president's desk.

"It's cold outside, Teddy, you're 10 minutes behind schedule, that's not your style." McKinley said with a laugh.

"I'm not you, Mr. President, sitting in the warmth of the White House. I'm so busy running around. It had just snowed and the road was slippery. My driver didn't dare to drive too fast, I'm sorry. ”

"Looks like you've had a fulfilling life at the Admiralty." McKinley and Roosevelt were old friends, and he didn't pay attention to Roosevelt's petty ridicule, and continued to laugh.

"Oh God, yes. I'm going to die of exhaustion, and I'm going to be like John to recuperate. Roosevelt said angrily.

"Hahahaha" McKinley was amused by his good friend's stinky face, and calmed down his smile, McKinley still couldn't hide the schadenfreude on his face: "Even if you want to go to recuperate, I won't approve it, Teddy." The Navy needs you now. ”

McKinley's words made Roosevelt's originally smiling face immediately solemn: "William, you have already decided?" Can we declare war on Spain? Roosevelt asked with some urgency.

"Yes, Teddy, I've decided, I'll ask Congress to approve the war warrant. But you know, it's probably not possible for Congress to get through guò, and we can't do anything without a congressional mandate. The smile on McKinley's face faded, and he shook his head helplessly.

"Damn Congress, can't they see that if we don't do it again, that pearl of the Caribbean Sea may leave us forever?! Thanks to the intervention of the Germans in the Philippines, the Spaniards had turned their full attention to Cuba. Whether the Spaniards crushed the revolution in Cuba or the Cubans triumphed, we will lose the excuse to intervene! Once such an opportunity is lost, we may never have a second chance! Roosevelt said with annoyance, and there was great displeasure in his deep voice.

Looking at the angry Roosevelt, McKinley could only shake his head and smile bitterly: "Teddy, it's useless to be angry, those guys in Congress are not willing to start a war at this time." You know, we're just getting through the economic crisis, and Congress won't be willing to throw precious money into the bottomless pit of war. ”

"Oh damn it, won't they see that if we get Cuba, we can get far more than we spent in the war?! And now that the whole of the United States is calling us to 'liberate' Cuba, we have to do something. Roosevelt said annoyedly.

"Those old diehards in Congress don't think so, in their eyes Spain is still the powerful European empire, with a powerful navy, and it is unpredictable to fight against them." McKinley said with some teasing.

Roosevelt opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything, and then in his heart he labeled all those guys in Congress as idiots, and it was a joke that the U.S. Navy could not win against the Spanish Navy with its current strength.

The warships built by the Navy at great expense are not used to fight wars, are they for spectatorship? However, Roosevelt was really speechless at the thought of the fact that the three Indiana-class battleships had to be given the neurotic title of ocean-going shore defense battleship in order to fight those idiots in Congress.

At this time, Roosevelt had to praise the Germans for doing a really good job in their previous actions and entering the Philippines under such a fair pretext, but at the same time, Roosevelt expressed disdain for the Germans' forward-looking work. What if the whole of the Philippines is seized by force? And now what European country would be unhappy with Germany over a piece of Spain's overseas possessions?

As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt's naval thinking was exactly the same as that of the previous two Secretaries of the Navy, and the US Navy was an offensive force used to safeguard American interests. Roosevelt himself was fascinated by the Navy, and his book Naval Warfare in the War of 1812 was published in 1881 and quickly became a compulsory textbook at the U.S. Navy's Annapolis Naval Academy.

The book educated two generations of young officers in the U.S. Navy at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. After meeting U.S. Navy Colonel Mahan, Roosevelt was deeply influenced by Mahan's naval philosophy, and Roosevelt became a loyal fan of Mahan's book The Influence of Sea Power on History published in 1890.

Roosevelt's greatest wish was to make the United States a world power and enjoy the same power and interests as the European powers, and this wish was now slowly realized through the efforts of the two Navy Secretaries, Tracy and Herbert.

The U.S. Navy, thanks to the efforts of two Navy Secretaries, is thriving, with an ever-expanding fleet, an ever-improving level of warships, and an ever-increasing number of officers and men. At this time, the United States needs an unlucky bastard to show its strength and sacrifice the flag, to show that the United States is no longer the United States that had to exercise restraint in the face of a small country like Chile in the Valparaiso (Note 1) incident.

It is the best choice to use Spain, an old European power that has weakened, not only because this declining empire has two colonies coveted by the United States, Cuba and the Philippines, but also because this European country also has the purpose of testing the bottom line of European countries.

The United States wanted to completely defeat Spain by force, gain the whole of Cuba, and firmly hold the destiny of this Caribbean in its hands, so as to declare the power and status of the United States, but its plan was actually blocked by the group of idiots in Congress.

Roosevelt asked reluctantly, "Then we will do nothing?" Just watching this opportunity slip out of our hands? ”

"Teddy, I can't help it, I understand your feelings, if we have an excuse, I'll definitely get the congressional authorization for war. But right now, there's nothing I can do. McKinley folded his hands helplessly and shrugged.

Despite his annoyance, even President McKinley could not go to war without congressional approval, and Roosevelt could only frustrate that the United States would miss its best opportunity.

"All I can approve now is for our warships to go to Havana, and I have no more authority than that, so go and arrange a 'visit' to Havana next year." McKinley said to Roosevelt.

"Okay, I'll arrange it, and hopefully this 'visit to Wèn' will turn things around." Roosevelt agreed. (To be continued......)

PS: Note 1: In 1891, there were riots in Chile, the United States sent the cruiser Baltimore to the Chilean port of Valparaiso to protect the overseas Chinese, American sailors clashed with the locals, American sailors were killed 2 people, 18 wounded, thus triggering a dispute between the two countries. The Baltimore's aim of naval guns at the city sparked anger on the Chilean side, which declared that it would send a fleet to bombard the West Coast of the United States. In the end, the US side made concessions and settled the matter through diplomatic channels