Chapter 887: The Attitude of the Americans

In the office of the President of the United States in Washington, the atmosphere was a little tense at this time. Howard? Taft, Vice President Thomas? Woodrow? Wilson, Secretary of the Navy George? John Dewey and Secretary of the Army? Joseph? Pershing, the four high-ranking US military and political officials, urgently convened this meeting after learning of the sinking of the Japanese fishing boat. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Everyone is not stupid, the Japanese have such a tough attitude in the sinking of the fishing boat, it is obvious that they want to fight the Chinese Empire, but if you Japan want to fight against the Chinese Empire, you have to talk to our United States of America! Japan and the United States have signed an alliance, and in the event of a war between Japan and the Chinese Empire, according to the alliance treaty, the United States must also declare war on the Chinese Empire and challenge the world's largest power with Japan.

U.S. President William? Howard? Taft said to the other three high-ranking American officials: "I have contacted the Japanese government, and their attitude this time is very tough, if the Chinese Empire does not agree to all the conditions put forward by Japan in the sinking of the fishing boat, Japan will directly declare war on the Chinese Empire!" ”

Secretary of the Navy George? Dewey smiled bitterly and said: "According to my many years of understanding of the Chinese Empire Emperor Lin Daxin, it is impossible for him to agree to Japan's conditions, and this fishing boat sinking incident is obviously written and directed by the Japanese, the purpose is to attack the Chinese Empire, and by the way, we United States of America will also be dragged into the water!" ”

Secretary of the Army, John? Joseph? Pershing sighed and said: "The Japanese are also forced to do so, their finances have been unable to support Japan to continue the arms race, even if it is to support Japan's current scale of the navy, land and air force, it will also make Japan's finances very difficult, at this time if Japan does not break out a war with the Chinese Empire, then the longer the time drags on, the greater the gap between Japan and the Chinese Empire in military terms." ”

Vice President Thomas? Woodrow? Wilson nodded and said: "General John's analysis is very correct, the Japanese should be this idea, in fact, not only Japan, even our United States of America is already a little powerless in the face of the arms race, for the arms race, our United States of America has a serious financial deficit, I am even worried that if it continues like this for another two years, our government will go bankrupt." ”

The United States is currently the world's second largest economy, and the only thing ahead of the United States is the Chinese Empire, but in order to catch up with the pace of the Chinese Empire's arms race, the US Government's money bag is almost exhausted, and from the main warships under construction by the US Navy, it can be seen that the United States is no longer able to keep up with the pace of the arms race.

After the end of the European War, the US Navy successively had 12 Pennsylvania-class super dreadnought battleships, eight Lexington-class aircraft carriers, and eight Saratoga-class battlecruisers in service, doubling the number of the US Navy's current main warships to 56.

After this batch of 28 capital warships was put into service one after another, large docks in various shipyards in the United States began to build a new batch of capital warships, but this time the Americans only started construction of four Lexington-class aircraft carriers and four new American super-dreadnought battleships at the same time.

The new class of super dreadnought battleships of the US Navy is called the New Mexico class, with a standard displacement of 32,000 tons, a full load displacement of 33,000 tons, and six twin 50-caliber 356 mm main guns, with a maximum speed of 23 knots.

You must know that there are more than 30 large docks in various shipyards in the United States that can build capital warships, but now only 8 have started to build new capital warships, and the rest of the large docks are idle.

The U.S. government also ran out of money, so it built eight capital warships at once, and the U.S. government gritted its teeth and came up with the money, but the Chinese Empire, the biggest enemy of the United States, after the 32 capital warships in the various shipyards of the Chinese Empire were put into service, the Chinese Empire started construction of 32 new capital warships in one go, which simply made the United States and other countries in the world participating in the arms race feel like they want to vomit blood.

The new batch of capital warships built by the Chinese Empire includes 16 Emperor-class aircraft carriers, 8 Huanghe-class super dreadnought battleships, and 8 Jewel-class battlecruisers, all of which are previously designed and built capital warships, and there is no new class.

In fact, Lin Daxin is preparing to let the shipyards of the Chinese Empire imitate the advanced warships of modern time and space or the blue water planet time and space to build a new batch of warships of the Royal Navy of the Chinese Empire, but because of technical problems, especially technical problems in missiles, the shipbuilding industry of the Chinese Empire does not have the conditions to build such advanced warships, so Lin Daxin can only retreat to the next best, and let the shipyards of the Chinese Empire continue to build the main warships designed by the Chinese Empire step by step.

16 Emperor-class aircraft carriers, 8 Yellow River-class super dreadnought battleships and 8 gem-class battlecruisers, this new ship-building plan was decided by Lin Daxin himself, the Emperor-class aircraft carrier is based on the Midway-class aircraft carrier, Forrestal-class aircraft carrier and Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier stolen by Lin Daxin from modern time and space, designed as a template, it can already be regarded as a very good conventional power aircraft carrier, and according to the performance of the emperor-class aircraft carrier, even in modern time and space, it can be described as a national weapon, It can be in the sequence of the Royal Navy of the Chinese Empire for a long time, so Lin Daxin built 16 ships in one breath this time.

As for the super dreadnought battleship and the battle cruiser, the two main battleships that are likely to disappear in the torrent of history, Lin Daxin decided that the Chinese Empire will not design a new class in the future, and as for the new construction of 8 Yellow River-class super dreadnought battleships and 8 gem-class battlecruisers, it is entirely because of Lin Daxin's feelings for the cannon giant.

Unlike the U.S. government, almost 90 percent of the 32 capital warships newly built by the Chinese Empire were paid for by Lin Daxin himself, otherwise even if the Chinese Empire was already the world's largest economy, the finance could not bear the construction cost of so many main warships, and the biggest gap between the United States and the Chinese Empire was that there was a lack of an emperor who was not bad for money.

U.S. President William? Howard? Taft smiled bitterly and said to the other three high-ranking Americans: "If Japan declares war on the Chinese Empire, our United States of America will be dragged into the water, but with the combined military strength of the United States and Japan, it will not be able to compete with the Chinese Empire, take the Navy as an example, our US Navy has 56 capital warships, the Japanese Navy has 21 capital warships, and the total is only 77, while the Chinese Empire's Navy has 136 capital warships." ”

After a pause, President William? Howard? Taft continued: "In terms of the army, our US Army is only 1.5 million, of which 500,000 have just been expanded this year, while the Japanese Army has 3.5 million, and the two countries together have 5 million, and the total strength of the Chinese Empire's current army is close to 9 million. As for the air force, our United States and Japan are worse than the Chinese Empire, and if a war breaks out, with the strength of our United States of America and Japan, it will be difficult to defeat the Chinese Empire, or it will definitely be defeated, but our United States of America will have to enter the war, otherwise the arms race like a bottomless pit will make us bankrupt sooner or later! ”

Vice President Thomas? Woodrow? Wilson then said in a deep voice: "What the president said is not wrong, if we rely only on the United States of America and Japan, the war with the Chinese Empire will definitely be lost, so since this war cannot be avoided, we must pull more countries into the water." ”

Secretary of the Army, John? Joseph? Pershing immediately said: "The Entente and the Central Powers are very hostile to the Chinese Empire, the original European war, if it were not for the fact that the Entente and the Central Powers were afraid of the Chinese Empire, maybe the current Europe would have been in ruins, I think we should immediately contact the Entente and the Allies, at the beginning of our US-Japan Alliance and the Entente and the Allies formed an alliance against the Chinese Empire, as long as the Entente and the Allies were willing to declare war on the Chinese Empire together, this imminent war, the Chinese Empire will definitely lose, All the nations that go to war receive unusually generous loot. ”

Secretary of the Navy George? Dewey said with an excited expression at this time: "As long as the Entente and the Central Powers also participate in the war, Japan's challenge to the Chinese Empire this time will not only not be a crisis, but will be a very precious opportunity for our United States of America, as long as the Chinese Empire is defeated, our dream of the United States of America dominating the Pacific Ocean will become a reality!" ”

President William? Howard? Taft pondered for a moment and then said: "On behalf of the United States of America, I immediately reply to the Japanese government, saying that we, the United States of America, are willing to abide by the alliance, and once war breaks out between Japan and the Chinese Empire, we in the United States of America will declare war on the Chinese Empire in the fastest possible time!" At the same time, we will immediately contact the Entente and the Allied countries to strive for the Entente and the Allied Powers to join this war against the Chinese Empire and completely solve the root cause of the turmoil in the world of the Chinese Empire! ”

At the Prime Minister's Residence in Tokyo, Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Taro shouted excitedly to Foreign Minister Yoshimoto Tomobayashi, War Minister Terauchi Masatake, and Navy Minister Heihachiro: "Gentlemen, US President William? Howard? Taft has just sent a telegram to our Empire of Japan, the United States is willing to stand with the Empire of Japan on the issue of the Empire of China, and that once a war breaks out between China and Japan, the United States will immediately declare war on the Empire of China, and the first step of our Empire of Japan plan has been realized! ”

Foreign Minister Yoshimoto Tomobayashi, War Minister Terauchi Masatsuki, and Navy Minister Heihachiro Togo could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that this time they deliberately provoked a dispute with the Chinese Empire and prepared to declare war on the Chinese Empire, which caused a surge of psychological pressure on the Japanese government, these high-level military and political leaders.

The strength of the Chinese Empire has penetrated deep into the hearts of the entire Japanese nation, and the Japanese have a deep fear of the Chinese Empire in addition to their unforgettable hatred, and this time Japan wants to provoke a Sino-Japanese war, and if the United States does not fulfill the covenant of the US-Japan alliance, then what awaits Japan will be a hellish abyss.

Foreign Minister Yoshimoto Tomobayashi said: "Not only can we the Japanese Empire no longer stand the arms race, but other countries in the world, except for the Chinese Empire, may no longer be able to stand it. ”

Admiral Minister Heihachiro Togo said with a sigh: "The Chinese Empire is too rich, according to our intelligence, this time the Chinese Empire built 16 aircraft carriers, 8 super dreadnought battleships and 8 battle cruisers at the same time, which simply made the navies of other countries a little desperate, if the Chinese Empire is allowed to develop like this, sooner or later, the Chinese Empire will have the military strength to conquer the entire world, which I believe the Americans can see very clearly." ”

Prime Minister Katsura Taro smiled and said, "I hope that the countries of the Entente and the Central Powers can also see this clearly, President William of the United States? Howard? Taft said on the telegram that the U.S. government would persuade the Entente and the Allies to join this just war against the Chinese Empire, and as long as the Entente and the Allies agreed, then our plan for the Japanese Empire would be complete. ”

War Minister Terauchi Masaki said confidently: "Prime Minister, Yoshimoto-kun, Togo-kun, I believe that the Entente and the Allied Powers will definitely seize the opportunity created by our Great Japanese Empire this time to declare war on the Chinese Empire, you must know that the Entente and the Allied Powers have vigorously engaged in an arms race over the years, basically against the Chinese Empire, there is such a God-given opportunity, they will definitely not let go, the Chinese Empire's big fat meat, the Entente and the Allied Powers have long wanted to eat it!" ”

Foreign Minister Yoshimoto Yubayashi nodded and said: "In order to maintain the current huge military size, the Entente and the Allied countries are all in deficit, and with the lobbyist of the United States, the probability of the Entente and the Allied countries joining the war is at least eighty percent. ”

Prime Minister Katsura Taro clapped his hands and said: "It seems that Amaterasu still blesses our Great Japanese Empire, and the Chinese Empire will be in a catastrophe this time, and it seems that our Great Japanese Empire can be tougher against the Chinese Empire." ”

On June 8, 1914, three days after the sinking of the Japanese fishing boat, the Japanese government held another press conference, at which it announced that it had issued an ultimatum to the Chinese Empire, saying that if the Chinese Empire did not agree to Japan's conditions of handing over the murderers, compensation, and apology before June 15, then Japan would have to resort to war in order to safeguard Japan's dignity. (To be continued.) )