When the time was not ripe, Qin Lang would definitely not reveal the answer to the question - he did not further indicate his intentions. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Qin Lang simply taught Zhang Binglin, Bi Yongnian, and Chen Tianhua some propaganda and leadership skills, key issues that required special attention, and the assistance he would provide to them, and then the meeting was over.

There is no doubt that Zhang Binglin and Bi Yongnian are not satisfied, they both want to know the answer to the question, but they also know very well how busy Qin Lang's work is, and he can't spend too much time on one thing; And with the assistance they received, the most important problems have been solved. As for the doubt, they had long enough time to think about it and look for an answer. But more importantly, one day, Qin Lang will make everything public.

One day, the truth will come out, and they will know what Qin Lang wants. Moreover, Zhang Binglin sneered in his heart, no matter what other people think of the problem, if Qin Lang finally intends to do something that harms China's interests, he will not let him get his wish.

Yes, he provided assistance for revolutionary activities, but that does not mean that he can do whatever he wants.

Zhang Binglin was secretly happy, not paying attention to Qin Lang's gaze sweeping over him, his perceptive gaze, as if he really knew what his guests were thinking.

But in reality, he just knew what they were going to think, and it was the result of his deliberate guidance. So in the end, when these guests knew about his plan, they would definitely be surprised and incredible, and Qin Lang hoped that he would be watching from the side at that time. He wanted to see that expression.

Qin Lang is looking forward to the future.

Of course, everyone is looking forward to the future - Charles. Admiral Sigsby would love that his collar badge would be turned into a silver star before he retired, just like George Bush. Dewey the same. So the colonel always had a little extra idea about the tasks that his battleship was performing.

If...... Of course, if the United States declares war on Spain, the battleship "Maine" anchored in Havana will be the first American warship to enter the battlefield, and it may also get the opportunity to destroy several dilapidated Spanish warships. He would become a war hero for this, and a promotion would be a matter of course.

And there is no danger in such a task.

Colonel Sigsby knew the ships he commanded inside out and knew the strength of the Spanish Navy. In the U.S. Navy's battle ship sequence, the "Maine", which began construction in 1888, was undoubtedly the most vulnerable - limited to battleships and armored cruisers - with a standard displacement of less than 7,000 tons, with only four ten-inch guns and six six-inch secondary guns, but the Spanish Navy had only three armored cruisers, and these battleships were all on Spanish soil, and when they arrived, they would be greeted by four first-class battleships of the Atlantic Fleet......

It is also possible that there were five first class battleships. If Congress decides to go to war with Spain, the Admiralty will move the battleship "Oregon" deployed on the west coast to the Caribbean, and if she moves quickly enough to sail fifteen thousand nautical miles in three months, then it can catch up with a large-scale naval battle.

So the situation of the "Maine" is very safe, on the contrary, she is in a position that can bring him enough honor. It's just that Sigsby doesn't see any signs of war yet.

Those fucking fool politicians in Congress!

The Admiral sighed, withdrew his empty gaze from the Spanish batteries on the coast, and turned a pair of sharpened eyes back to his co-captain. "James, you stay here, I'll make my rounds around for a while."

"Do you want to wake our lads from their sweet dreams again?" The vice-captain said with a smile and patted Sigsby on the shoulder, "Relax, Charles, the fighting between the Cubans and the Spaniards will not affect us, and Congress will not declare war on Spain." Stay here for a few months and we'll be able to go back. ”

"I have a very bad feeling that maybe something will happen soon." Sigsby said.

"You're just so bored, man." The co-captain shook his head.

"Yes, this day of idleness is already rusting me." The Colonel sighed again, pulled the door open and walked out of the bridge.

"You just don't fit in with such a peaceful life - next to a battlefield." Apparently, Sigsby, who had already gone far, did not hear this. But the vice-captain didn't care. He muttered a few more words, shrugged his shoulders, and turned his face to the officers and sailors who were looking at him. "Don't look at me, gentlemen, stay vigilant, we're still on combat alert."

"Damn combat alert." Someone whispered.

In fact, none of the three hundred and fifty-three officers and sailors aboard the battleship "Maine" liked Sigsby's order to stand on guard. They are in the sunny Caribbean, in a great place to take a vacation, and away from the riots on land, and in theory life should be easy and enjoyable every day...... But now all had to stay in their places, with artillery, torpedoes and ammunition.

And then there were the boilers and the coals - the boiler crews were also confined to the hot and cramped engine room, waiting for an order to set sail that would never come, and the sweltering, muddy air and oppressive atmosphere almost suffocated the young sailors.

"But it's in such an environment that someone can still fall asleep." Sigsby looked viciously at the sleepy bugs he had just woken up. Despite the fact that both the officers and sailors knew that the fierce expression of the colonel was completely faked, the guys shuddered and huddled together.

"Gentlemen, you should always be vigilant, we are in an extremely dangerous place, maybe in the next second a shell will fall on our heads! If you still want to return to your hometown alive, keep your eyes open to the maximum and your ears pricked up. "The Admiral said loudly, wanting his warning to reach every pair of ears that could hear it." Do you all understand? ”

"Understood, Captain." The sailors replied, but they still looked weak, not even their voices. If anyone could stay in the boiler room for two or three hours in a row and still be able to talk to the commander in good spirits, he must not be human, or he would be dead.

Sigsby understood this as well, so though he was not satisfied with the sailor's answer, he did not say anything in the end, but just swept the fellows a little more fiercely, and then walked to the next cabin accompanied by the chief engineer.

Just after such a moment in the boiler room, the colonel felt that he was out of breath.

"Poor captain, he's driving him crazy with all the anticipation of the battle." When Sigsby's footsteps completely disappeared, the sailor who was still drowsy just now immediately began to discuss in a low voice. But only for the first moment, maybe a few minutes, they were talking about their superiors, and then the conversation inevitably turned to the things that the Navy men loved—American football and women, to put it simply.

The discussion went on for a long time—partly because the sailors were afraid that the captain would turn back, so they didn't have the courage to go back to sleep. However, when they were convinced that Sigsby would not run into the boiler room again, the fellows immediately stopped discussing and began to doze off - except for one fellow.

"I want to smoke a cigarette." He said.

"Hell, George, you can't smoke here, that's going to choke us all to death." There is no doubt that the air in the boiler room is cloudy enough, and if there are still people smoking, who can stay?

"Relax, guys, I'll go to the deck."

"Then you'll be seen by the captain, and he'll come back here with your ears twisted, and we'll suffer." The sailors were all against George's idea, and no doubt it was terrible, "You'll have to pick a new place." ”

He thought about it. "Coal tanks?"

"Do you want to burn us all to death?"

On second thought, George still couldn't figure out where he should go to smoke, but he couldn't help it. "Alright, guys, I've got to go for a cigarette." He stood up, "Who is going to go with me?" ”

No one. After a few hours in the boiler room, the sailors wanted nothing more than water—preferably beer or rum, of course—and no one wanted to make their throats worse with a cigarette.

"Looks like I'm the only one." George pursed his lips, shrugged his shoulders, and cautiously slipped out of the cabin, looking for a secluded enough place to solve his craving.

Sigsby, who had returned to the bridge, had no idea that one of the sailors had left his post on the ship without permission - and for smoking. The Admiral looked intently at a telegram he had just received, happy and angry at the same time. In his life, his mood has never been so complicated.

And this was only because of a frivolous personal letter that appeared in the New York Monthly a week ago. It was written by the Spanish Minister to Washington, D.C. Digpie. Morality. Merlot. In the letter, Mr. Minister, who was almost like a fool, alluded to Spain's fraud in the negotiations of the pending trade agreement with the United States. McKinley was a "statesman of the inferior rank". Unfortunately, the letter fell into the hands of the Cuban rebels and was then made public.

There is no doubt that such a letter is enough to offend the entire United States. The American people, who had lost interest in the Cuban question, had once again turned their attention to the Caribbean, and the rhetoric calling for war with Spain was once again rampant, and it seemed only a matter of time before war broke out.

"Great." Eventually, Sigsby felt that he should be happy.

At the same time, sailor George threw a cigarette butt into the coal tank.

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Note, the cause of the explosion of the battleship "Maine" has now been confirmed, caused by the spontaneous combustion of bituminous coal in the coal tank that detonated the propellant in the adjacent ammunition compartment (to be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )