"So did you ask France and Russia? Are they willing to let your country use their ports? If so, why can't your fleets be stationed separately? Some of them were in Hong Kong, and the rest of the fleet could also go to the north of the Qing Dynasty or to French Annam. Salszpoli asked.

"After all, we are a fleet, it is not good to separate, we may send a detachment to visit other countries, but the navy wants to be stationed in Hong Kong as a temporary home port. We will abide by the laws of your country, and we just want to be stationed temporarily. Hay pleaded.

"It is very difficult, the Russians are expanding their forces in the Far East at a very fast pace, and in order to ensure the stability of the situation in the Far East, the Imperial Navy will move from Singapore to Hong Kong in two months to deter the Russian Navy. And Hong Kong could not accommodate two huge fleets stationed, and Shanghai, although prosperous, was not a suitable naval base, so it was really powerless in the British sphere of influence. Salzpoli bit down and didn't let go.

The British are very good at retreating, you can come, I can help you partially, if you can disassemble the fleet. But it is impossible to want to be stationed here in full. Regardless of whether the Russians really have any intentions in the Far East, anyway, in a word, the British think that they have intentions, so the Far East Fleet wants to go north, and since it goes north, then it will not be able to accept the American fleet, you see, how good is this reason?

Hay finally realized that such negotiations were fruitless, and although he did not know much about military affairs, he knew that the British would never let up this time. In desperation, Hay, who could not understand the matter, decided to leave, but before he left, a promise from Salzpoli made Hay relax a little.

"I am very clear about your country's fears that the British Empire will warn Japan and let them end the standoff in Hawaii. As a sign of my goodwill to your country. What do you think? Before the end of the talks, Saldspoli said in such a sincere tone. And Haiyi, who didn't know the specific situation, was actually quite happy!

"Hay, you idiot! I'm happy to be tricked! Roosevelt threw the telegram from Hay to the ground in a fit of rage, and almost stepped on it a few more times, while Day and Simpson were also grim-faced. Hay's telegram had already made them understand two things, the first of which was that the British did not agree to help the American Far East Fleet. And another thing is gradually coming to the surface. That is, in addition to the United States, Japan also has a lot of ideas about the Philippines!

Dey, a lawyer by training, read the relevant documents word for word, and then came to his own opinion: "The British emphasize the balance of the Far East, and this so-called balance is not to maintain the status quo, but to prevent the intervention of new powers. Their theory is very close to our Monroe Doctrine, that is, East Asian affairs should be handled by the current East Asian parties. And their attitude towards us is neutrality. ”

"They seemed to be indifferent to the fate of the Spaniards, and that did not mean that they would allow any power to take the Philippines, even if, according to the British, they still wanted to curb the influence of the Russian navy in the Far East. The transfer of part of the East Asian Fleet to Hong Kong in early 1898 was an obvious move. They were also wary of the Germans and the French. And then think about what the British did on German battleships, in fact they had acquiesced in Japan's actions against the Philippines. Roosevelt said with a gloomy face.

"Japan's ambitions for the Philippines are only speculation, not an act of war." Day discouraged. In fact, although he agreed to use force against Spain and wanted to bring the Philippines under his control, he was not prepared to fight a country with a stronger navy on the other side of the ocean. The United States is on the rise, and a defeat in a battle will be a serious blow to the will and will of the people, so he would rather choose a more conservative strategy than take risks.

"The so-called neutrality of the British was actually already support for the Japanese. Japan has the right to garrison troops in southern Taiwan. They can base their fleet in Tainan, which is very close to Manila. And if our fleet cannot win the support of other powers, it will have to choose Samoa. As if we were to do it at the same time, we would definitely be the ones who would suffer, and we simply did not have a strong enough base in the Far East to support the operation of the fleet, so the strength of the fleet would not be superior, and if it really continued, I was not optimistic about this war. ”

General Simpson also hesitated. If Day was politically concerned, Simpson was military. He was not optimistic about the battle. Now he is a little hesitant, and even thinks that if Japan takes action against the Philippines first, or the United States will give up?

"We must not give up, even if we fail. It is absolutely not permissible to give up, and it is absolutely not permissible to retreat and make concessions without even the courage to fight a war! This would make the other powers feel that the United States is a weak and bully weakling! It's not that we haven't experienced failure. In 1812, the U.S. Navy dared to challenge the mighty British fleet with several warships, and the British destroyed our naval bases on the Great Lakes and destroyed our presidential residence, but we did not give in, and the United States of America still stubbornly came to this day! What is Japanese? But a dog for the British! We are not afraid of Britain, but will we be afraid of a dog? ”

Theodore. Roosevelt's words were full of arrogance, in his opinion, he could tolerate failure, the United States is a great power, so what if it loses? It's a big deal to hibernate for a few years and then make a comeback, the industry of the United States is already the first in the world, warships, artillery and armies can be produced in a steady stream, the United States is like a strong man, although he lacks experience and means, but he is physically strong and has high morale! And the other countries are a weak old man, maybe their former glory makes them look terrible, maybe in a battle the other side may have an advantage, but the Americans can come again if they lose, and if the other countries lose, there will be no such opportunity!

"We can lose, but we can't lose a heart to win! I will not let the boys of the United States die in vain in the Far East, which is not up to the British! Britain and Japan also have enemies in the Far East! Roosevelt said.

"You mean joining forces with Russia!" Day immediately thought of this equally large and formidable country.

"No, not only Russia, but also France, Germany, all the countries that are willing to stand on our side, we want to completely change the order in East Asia, they think that they can stop the United States of America without cooperation, that is impossible!" Roosevelt sneered.

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