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On July 18, 1909, at nine o'clock in the morning, in the Panamanian city of Cologne, at the venue of the opening ceremony that had already been prepared on the banks of the Panama Canal, representatives from the United States and foreign envoys to the United States had already gathered here. On the sea outside the mouth of the canal, two huge battleships that seemed to be like hills, escorted by several light cruisers and destroyers, quietly moored there!

"Is that the Americans' 'New York-class' battleship? It's really big! Those thick barrels can almost cram anyone into them! "An ambassador from a small European country looked at the US Navy's battleships 'New York' and 'Texas' and sighed, his eyes full of envy. Battleships are the crystallization of the industry of this era, representing the industrial level of this country, only industrial powers can build battleships, and some small countries do not have this ability, and they do not have so much money to build battleships!

"The Americans' 'New York-class' battleships are very powerful, but the most powerful battleships in the world are the Chinese' 'Han-class' battleships, and the Chinese' 'Han-class' battleships were already in service several years ago." There were also people who had different opinions!

"I don't think so! The Chinese' 'Han-class' battleships had only nine 343-mm guns, while the Americans' 'New York-class' battleships had 10 343-mm guns! "Judging from the number of main guns alone, the 'Han-class' battleships with triple 343-mm guns are indeed one less than the 'New York-class' battleships with five twin 343-mm guns. However, the rate of fire of the 'Han-class' battleships was more than 50 percent higher than that of the 'New York-class', so the firepower of the 'Han-class' battleships was almost one and a half times that of the 'New York-class' battleships!

"However, this time the Chinese's reaction is a little strange! The Americans blatantly wanted to send the battleship to the west coast. Isn't this tearing up the treaty signed between China and the United States? Are the Chinese really ready to compromise? Someone said suspiciously. Countries around the world are waiting for China's reaction, but China has not said anything at all, which really makes countries around the world very puzzled!

"Although the Chinese are strong, the strength of the United States is not bad! Especially over the years, the Americans have built more than two dozen new battleships, which, in terms of quantity, are not at all less than the Chinese. The Chinese may not be sure of victory, so they don't care! Someone analyzed. In the absence of a response from China so far, many countries believe that China is unwilling to quarrel with the United States at this time. So chose to ignore the behavior of the Americans.

Zhang Yintang, China's ambassador to the United States, stood in the crowd, smiling, as if none of the talk around him had anything to do with him. He had also applied to the country to protest to the United States in the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, he was told that domestic countermeasures against the Americans had been prepared. It put him at ease. Although he didn't know how to deal with the Americans at home, he knew that with the character of the emperor, the Americans would definitely pay a heavy price! Therefore, this time to participate in the opening ceremony of the Panama Canal, he came with the mentality of watching a good show, and the more these Americans danced, the more joyful they were. When the time comes, the worse the fall!

At half past nine in the morning, U.S. President William Howard Taft appeared on the rostrum, accompanied by a group of cabinet members. Today's President Taft, with a red light on his face, looks particularly excited. Until now. The Chinese side has not yet made any response, which makes the US government take it for granted that China has compromised. Therefore, President Taft believes that in this Sino-US confrontation. The United States has already won once. Although, it was just a small victory. But for the Americans, it was a crucial victory, and it was the first time that the United States was able to win after suffering losses under China, and the significance of the encouragement generated by the US government was particularly important!

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cologne, this beautiful city. Today is an exceptionally important day for us Panamanians. With the help of the United States, the Panama Canal has been officially opened, which will completely change the current situation of poverty and backwardness in Panama. And the world's transportation will also be fundamentally changed because of the opening of the canal. Here, on behalf of all Panamanians, let me express my sincerest gratitude to the United States Government! As the country where the canal is located, Pana President Ma José Domingo de Ovaldia was the first to speak. He came to power with the support of the United States, and naturally hoped to be able to hug the thigh of the United States. Although the ownership of the canal belongs to the United States, and the United States only needs to pay Panama $250,000 in rent every year, this is already a huge amount of money for Panama, which has a population of only a few hundred thousand.

Pana President Ma Jose Domingo de Ovaldia's speech was short, after all, today the American side is the real protagonist.

U.S. President Taft walked up to the rostrum with a smile on his face, he glanced at the two 'New York-class' battleships moored on the sea, and then said: "Sir, thank you for coming to the opening ceremony of the Panama Canal, the opening of this canal will completely change the maritime traffic in the Americas. Previously, to travel from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast, it was necessary to detour Cape Horn in South America if you were traveling by boat. But now, it's no longer necessary! Ships could directly access the Pacific Ocean through the Guò Canal, reducing the distance of 15,000 kilometres, which would greatly reduce the cost of transportation and allow commerce to flourish. From the east coast of the United States to Asia, it is also possible to reduce the distance by tens of thousands of kilometers, which will make the connection between the Americas and Asia closer. The opening of the Suez Canal has promoted the exchange and development of the East and the West. I believe that the opening of the Panama Canal will also play a role in strengthening exchanges and development between the East and the West. Here, I would like to solemnly state to you that the US government is not digging the Panama Canal for military purposes, but only for purely commercial purposes. The United States is a peace-loving country, and the US Government will never start a war without authorization and undermine world peace. ”

"Bang Bang!" The people who participated in the opening ceremony burst into warm applause. It's just that there are probably not many people who really believe President Taft's words. The opening of the Panama Canal can certainly promote economic development. But the real intention of the US government is undoubtedly to use the canal for military purposes. Otherwise, the first batch of ships arranged to pass through the Guò Canal would not have been the warships of the US Navy, and they would still be battleships of more than 10,000 tons in violation of the treaty signed between China and the United States!

"Now, I announce that the Panama Canal is officially open!" President Taft said loudly.

Once again, the crowd burst into applause. The American warship moored in the sea also sounded its whistle. Then the battleships 'New York' and 'Texas' slowly moved and began to move towards the canal, with the battleship 'New York' in front, the battleship 'Texas' behind, and the other light cruisers and destroyers following in the rear queue into the canal. In 9 hours, they will open the Guò Canal, appear in the Bay of Panama, enter the Pacific Ocean from the Bay of Panama, and finally sail north to San Diego, an important naval base on the west coast of the United States!

When the warship entered the canal, President Taft and the U.S. Cabinet officials breathed a sigh of relief. They are really afraid that something will happen during the period, such as the Chinese suddenly jumping out to stop it. When the time comes, the U.S. government will be disgraced. Therefore, Zhang Yintang, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, is also the object of their observation. It's just that what surprised them, Zhang Yintang's cousin has always been very calm. This makes the American side a little confused, is it true that the Chinese have compromised?

After the opening ceremony, the U.S. government prepared a grand reception. According to the previous plan, everyone will stay in Cologne for one night to get a taste of Central America, and then return to the United States tomorrow on a passenger ferry prepared by the American side!

At five o'clock in the afternoon, a large number of ships suddenly appeared on the calm Panama Bay, all of which were flying the Chinese flag and the flag of the Chinese Navy. The arrival of the Chinese ship made the merchant ships in the bay very nervous. Many merchant ships were prepared to travel to the Atlantic Ocean via the Guò Panama Canal. After all, after the canal was opened, they would no longer have to make a detour to Cape Horn in South America, which would save a lot of time and transportation.

"Are the Chinese ready to go to war with the Americans?" Seeing the arrival of a large number of Chinese ships, the people on these merchant ships secretly thought. The warships of the U.S. Navy will go to the west coast through the Guò Panama Canal, as the whole world already knows. Before, everyone thought that there was no reaction from the Chinese side, but now it seems that this is not the case! The Chinese are already planning to counter the Americans with the most severe means!

"The Chinese Navy will conduct a live-fire exercise here, and all ships will leave immediately, otherwise they will be destroyed during the exercise, and the Chinese Navy will not be responsible!" Several destroyers of the Chinese Navy began to drive out merchant ships in the bay.

"Oh my God! The Chinese are actually preparing to conduct live-fire exercises here, and in more than an hour, the warships of the US Navy will open the Guò Canal! After hearing the statement of the Chinese Navy, the people of all countries on these merchant ships were shocked, and it is clear that the Chinese Navy is here to deal with the United States! In order to avoid harming the pond fish, the merchant ships in the bay left one after another.