In the lower reaches of the Almagre River in eastern Mexico, the destroyer USS Conway was sunk by a mine, killing and wounding the officers and men on board, and this bad news was like a bolt from the blue for the commander of the 3rd Battleship Squadron of the US Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Frank Ben-Upperm, and his American officers and men. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

The Mexican rebels' fortresses, with their strong fortifications and powerful artillery, repeatedly thwarted the Mexican government forces that came to attack, thus increasing the strength of the rebels, but in front of the New Mexico-class battleships that condense modern shipbuilding and military technology, such a fortress is like a mud wall that can be torn down without too much effort, and the Americans even naively think that the Mexican rebels holding on to Lapsca are a rabble supported by the Germans, and the Mexican government army that ravages the incompetent Mexican government army is okay. When you encounter such a formidable opponent as the U.S. Navy, you may hear the roar of heavy artillery and smear the soles of your feet.

If this were a full-fledged engagement, General Upperm would only need to have two New Mexico-class battleships stop at the mouth of the Almagre River, light ships set up to defend the position, and water reconnaissance planes take off to observe the impact point, and the Mexican rebel fortress could be razed in a day or two at most, but the question is, how can the American army indiscriminately bombard a group of Mexican Catholics who have taken up arms for religious freedom? Their military operations in northern Mexico have been widely questioned by international public opinion, and speculation that the United States may annex the northern provinces of Mexico has aroused strong resentment in the United States and in Mexico, which has put a lot of pressure on the United States government, which claims to be democratic and free. The U.S. Navy's dispatch of the Atlantic Fleet's 3rd Battleship Squadron was intended to demonstrate and put pressure on the Mexican Christian Resistance Army to give up its unrealistic demands and accept the Mexican government's terms for peace talks as soon as possible, rather than erasing them off the map by force.

However, the U.S. Navy admiral has been in the military for more than 30 years, has personally experienced the Spanish-American War and the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance, and has a deep understanding of the U.S. actions to instigate Panamanian independence, invasion of Cuba, and occupation of Haiti. Therefore, before departing from New Orleans, they consulted with the Mexican military, and then sent two American destroyers to participate in the blockade of the mouth of the Almagre River by the Mexican government forces, and by the way, they reconnoitred the surrounding geo-hydrological conditions in preparation for the arrival of the main force of the detachment.

While deploying a naval fleet to intervene in the Mexican Civil War, the U.S. government was also actively engaged in diplomacy with the Central Powers. Under the diplomatic offensive of the United States, the governments of Ireland and Spain successively issued statements that they did not support the armed forces of the Mexican Christian Army against the Mexican government, and demanded that their citizens staying or residing in Mexico should not do anything to obstruct the Mexican government's legitimate exercise of its rights, and the German government also promised not to be involved in any form of Mexican civil war - in exchange for important concessions by the United States government on the suppression of the French revolutionary forces and the South American Chaco War. While General Upperm's squadron sailed to the western Gulf of Mexico, the United States and Germany signed a secret treaty in Berlin that defined their sphere of influence in South America and limited German support for the Mexican Christian revolt in the context of the treaty. Without the German maneuver, Ireland and Spain, two second-rate European countries, could not compete with the United States, and the diplomatic victory made the situation in Mexico simple and clear, and General Upperm issued a directive to the two American destroyers that had arrived at the mouth of the Almagre River to go to the port of Lapska to negotiate with the Mexican Christian rebels, who would intervene to ensure their safety as long as the rebels agreed to disarm.

If this move achieves its goal, Upperm will become a famous hero for quelling the Mexican civil war and stabilizing America's backyard, admired by thousands of people and even become a figure in history. When they received the order to move towards the port of Lapska, they failed to raise the American Stars and Stripes in time, and they were bombed by opposing planes before they realized the oversight, but it was too late. The mines of the Christian Resistance did not have long eyes, and the "Conway", which was much larger than the Mexican ships, was doomed, and it was not easy for the crew to survive two powerful drifting mines one after another. Another U.S. destroyer, the USS Stockton, hastily retreated, only to escape the catastrophe.

Enraged, General Upperm ordered the fleet to activate the artillery plan, and all the troops took up positions in the waters near the mouth of the Almagre River, and the carrier-based reconnaissance planes catapulted from battleships and cruisers to begin aerial reconnaissance of the fortresses of the Mexican Christian Resistance. Once everything was in place, General Upperm summoned his key officers to the flagship USS Mississippi and asked if they would agree to discipline the Mexican Christian rebels.

The captains of the USS Mississippi and USS Ioda were two "post-80s" officers - Hessbend Kimmel and William Frederick Halsey, Jr., both born in 1882. In the U.S. Navy, there are more officers with higher qualifications than them, and the reason why the two of them were able to become the commanders of the main battleships at the age of 40 greatly benefited from the "ten-year construction" of the U.S. Navy from 1916 to 1926. During this period, warships of all sizes slid off the slipway like dumplings, a large number of young people enlisted in the navy, the total tonnage of US Navy combat ships more than doubled to 2.41 million tons, the tonnage of capital ships increased from 620,000 tons to 1.05 million tons, and the number of active personnel in the Navy expanded from less than 100,000 to nearly 300,000.

Both young admirals were among the best of their peers, well-versed in naval affairs, and had in-depth contact and communication with the Royal Navy during the American-British honeymoon in the early 20s, so they had a broader vision than the average U.S. naval officer.

"I don't think the Germans are making concessions in their sincerity, they are pushing forward with intent – first to bring Europe under their rule, then to the Azores and Paraguay, and their appetites are not satisfied with the oil fields of the Chaco, the governments of Chile and Argentina are moving closer to the Germans, and then it is Mexico that is strategically hostage to the United States. By that time, there would be no more international rivalry with Germany, and Kaiser Wilhelm's dream of the world would become a terrible reality. At this time, we must be tough and learn from what the Germans did in Portugal and France. ”

Looking at General Upham, who was faced with a difficult choice, Colonel Kimmel was the first to offer his opinion. The unlucky man who had been saddled by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in the old time and space, graduated from the Annapolis Naval Academy, and his family background and career start were not as good as Halsey's, but he was fortunate enough to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt's adjutant during his tenure as Assistant Secretary of the Admiralty, which provided him with a significant help in his future advancement.

"It is an indisputable fact that the mines of the Mexican rebels sank our destroyer, but we have to face the paradoxical reality that our destroyer was sunk in Mexico by the Almagre River, an area that has long been recognized as a dangerous war zone, and that mines are recognized as a defensive weapon, and that the sinking of the Conway may not be the key to unanimous support for our war against the Mexican Catholic forces."

The news of the sinking of the "Conway" and the loss of at least 50 crew members has been sent back to the US Navy Department by radio. "It must be a key, and it has been, a key, and only by making the Mexicans pay the price that the United States has suffered this time can heal the damage done to the United States." ”

Through the porthole, you can see the adjacent "Ioda", which is facing sideways towards the coast of Mexico, and all 12 50 times the diameter of the 356 mm main guns have been raised high, just waiting for the firing parameters and firing instructions, it can launch a fierce bombardment of the Lapska fortress more than 20 kilometers away.

The "Mississippi" at this time was in the same state.

"Let's wait and see!" Colonel Kimmel said with a gloomy face, "Anyway, the decision rests with Washington, not with us." ”

Halsey, who came from a naval family, disagreed, reminding: "I'm afraid that Washington will give us an ambiguous answer -- we will make the decision, and we will take responsibility." ”

The officers had expected General Upperm to shout about the plastering of the fortress of Lapska, but when he heard Halsey's assertions, and especially the word responsibility, he suddenly calmed down.

"Perhaps, we can get in touch with them by plane, let them know how much mistake they have made, let them get rid of the current state of engagement, sit down and talk to us, and then we can make our demands, and if they don't agree, morality is in our hands." ”

General Upperm hesitated for a moment: "Okay, let the plane drop them a brown bag with letterhead, let them know that they are openly confronting the US Navy, and see what their attitude is." Hey, is the plane we sent back? ”

The officers hurriedly verified that the first two seaplanes had not yet returned, and that the time spent in the air was close to their endurance limit. In view of the fact that the Mexican government forces often have planes shot down by the rebels, and the US Navy is equipped with water reconnaissance planes that focus on flight performance and have weak self-defense capabilities, they may be more unlucky.

General Upperm's face suddenly turned pale.

(End of chapter)