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"The nails are missing, and the horses' hooves are cracked; The horse's hooves are cracked, and the war horses are trampled; The horses stumble, the knights fall; Knights fell, legions slashed; The legion is cut, the soldier is broken; The warrior is broken, and the empire is destroyed". Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

To a certain extent, this ballad fully illustrates the "butterfly effect" to people.

History is always full of drama!

So much so that whenever people look back on history, they always feel that history is so absurd. The reason for its absurdity is that it was originally only because of some very small and even insignificant event.

Just as in the middle of 1911, even when the "Torreón Affair" and the events that followed attracted the attention of the whole world, people did not think about the direction in which the events would go, as if in the eyes of everyone it was not a big deal.

However, as the "butterfly effect" is told in the ballad in the book "The Empire Died with an Iron Nail", no one would have thought that that a small iron nail would lead to the demise of the empire.

To this day, when we look back on history, we always have the question, why did the world come to that point?

When the lights of the world go out, people who want to fall into darkness will eventually ponder this question.

But at the time - no one cared! ”

Modern and Modern History of the World, The Commercial Press

The beginning of every day in Washington is the same view.

While most people are still asleep, a morning sun leaps over the distant horizon, gilding the thick clouds that have shrouded the city with a golden glow, creating the illusion of clear weather, and then disappearing without a trace.

As usual, Wen Zengding would tie the laces of his running shoes when he got up. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west every day, like a clock, and his life is also peaceful. His personal life is almost safe with this immutable pattern, and in fact, his life has remained the same as the Naval School routine until now.

The army will always change the habits of many people, and as a lieutenant colonel of the navy, Zeng Yiding, is one of the many people who have been changed by the army, for him, he has become accustomed to the work and rest of the army, even after marriage, just like now, every morning, whether it is rain or snow outside, he will always get up at 5 o'clock in the morning, and then do a 10-kilometer run.

For Zeng Yiding and every officer of the Chinese army, it is necessary to maintain physical fitness, even His Majesty the Emperor, as the supreme commander of the imperial army, will conduct physical training every day to maintain full physical fitness, and as officers, they are naturally no exception, habits, when a habit is formed, it is difficult to change.

Zeng Yiding, as the military attache of the Imperial Navy in the United States, did not live in the embassy, in fact, many officials in the embassy lived outside the embassy, and it was precisely because of this that he would change into civilian clothes as he is now, then jog along the Potomac River, and then return to his residence to wash off the sweat on his body, and then leave the house dressed up, and then arrive at the embassy, where he changed into military uniforms and continued his work for the day

As usual, after a long-distance run on the banks of the Potomac River, Zeng Yiding, who changed his clothes and prepared to leave home, after leaving the bedroom and coming to the living room, he checked the doors and windows as if he had obsessive-compulsive disorder, and only he knew what he was doing.

Toothpick!

He would not leave the house until he had half a toothpick stuffed in the cracks between the doors and windows.

Paranoia.

To outsiders, this may seem like a kind of dementia, but in fact, as a naval attaché, this is to prevent others from infiltrating his home, even though he knows that there is no secret writing in his home, but this is only a kind of secrecy prevention.

Especially in the current tense situation, when Zeng Yiding left the house, the rain from the sky made him tighten his collar, fortunately, this place is not far from the embassy, just need to speed up the pace.

When he quickened his pace, Zeng Yiding felt as if someone was following him, and he noticed that there seemed to be more than one tail behind him, and he couldn't help but be shocked. But then he calmed down, and it was probably just a routine tracking mission.

Opposite is the Ambassador's Embassy. The tall building is frequented by people coming and going from time to time. It's already 9 o'clock and I'm going to work. But Zeng Yiding did not go in immediately, but stood by the newsstand, browsing newspapers and magazines, while the newspaper seller pressed his hat to his eyebrows, and then shouted hoarsely.

"Take a look Chinese demand 100 million than the claim and cede Baja California...... The Chinese declared war on the United States. ”

……

This is a typical American media, listening to the shouts of newspaper sellers, once secretly cursed in the bottom of his heart.

The so-called indemnity of 100 million pesos is a condition put forward by the government in negotiations with the Mexican side, as for the cession of Baja California, it is simply nonsense and slander, in fact, the United States is the country that really intends to get into Baja California, and the reason why the United States supports Madero to overthrow the rule of Díaz is precisely because its lease of the port of Magarena in Baja California, Mexico was refused, and in the negotiations with Mexico, in order to prevent the United States from obtaining Baja California through the Madero regime, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will only make a request to lease the port of Magarena in Baja California, Mexico, which, in fact, is the same as the 100 million pesos negotiations, just a "lion's mouth" and a tactic for diplomatic negotiations.

Although the Navy is interested in leasing the Port of Magarena in Baja California, Mexico, for the Navy, it means that the Navy can reach the doorstep of the United States, thus further guaranteeing an offensive advantage over the United States. But on the other hand, the Navy knows very well that the United States will never accept this condition. And the reason why the Navy made this request was actually to prevent the United States from leasing the port of Magarena in Baja California, Mexico.

Although the United States controls the Panama Canal under construction, there is no suitable port in the Canal Zone to anchor the Grand Fleet, and once it leases the port of Magarena, it means that the United States will obtain a maritime basis in the Central American region, thus forming an American chain, and this is not what the Navy wants to see, so they will put forward the request to lease the port of Magarena in Baja California, Mexico, in this negotiation, but in the final negotiations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will abandon this article and then take a back seat. Ask the Mexican government to promise not to lease the port of Magarena and other ports to any country!

And this diplomatic strategy has now become the "incriminating evidence" in the mouth of the United States, and the "incriminating evidence" of China's attempt to get involved in the Americas.

"Damn Yankees!"

scolded hatefully, but Zeng Yiding still paid for a newspaper. Then he glanced at the tail, and quickly walked into the Chinese embassy opposite.

In one of the basements of the embassy, Zeng Yiding had just walked into the basement when he was stopped by a young naval officer. These energetic young men usually study the intelligence materials of the US Navy that have recently been collected here.

"Sir,"

The young naval officer gasped and said,

"We just got an intelligence that the U.S. Navy is planning to transfer the main forces of the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Ocean!"

"What? Are you sure? ”

Surprised to receive the information, Zeng Yiding simply couldn't believe what he saw, the US Navy is planning to transfer the main force of the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Ocean!

What does this mean?

"This means that the Chinese will understand that the United States will never make any concessions on the issue of Mexico!"

Inside the White House, Secretary Knox said in a calm tone.

"In the past month or so, we have seen that the Chinese have not only bombed many Mexican cities in retaliation, but at the same time, they have also issued an unprecedented 100 million pesos in compensation, which is even more than the Mexican government's budget for a year. This means that the Chinese have no sincerity in trying to solve the problem at the negotiating table, and their ambitions for Baja California have fully demonstrated their ambitions for the Americas, if the United States cannot stop them, as President Madero said—"

After a slight pause, Knox said a sentence from the handwritten letter brought by the special envoy sent by Madero, and it was this sentence that deeply moved him and strengthened his determination to intervene in this incident, of course, more importantly, for him who actively intervened in the Mexican Revolution, he never wanted to see his "diplomatic achievements" ruined by the Chinese - the Mexican Revolution succeeded precisely because of his support.

"Today Mexico's interests are sacrificed, then tomorrow the whole of South America will be touched by the Chinese, and the whole world will be subjugated by their blackmail!"

In the face of the Secretary of State's words, Taft, who weighed 332 pounds, slowly stood up, dragged his somewhat heavy body, and walked slowly, he never thought that he would become president, in fact, for him, he didn't want to be this president at all, he lacked political sensitivity, he just had the ability to be a serious judge.

Although Roosevelt said that Taft was "the most suitable man in the country to be president," Taft was conservative, not good at rhetoric, and did not have the ability to control the Republican Party, and could not tactfully reconcile the hostile factions within the party; He lacks political skill, does not subtly conceal his close relations with monopoly capitalists, but pursues a series of naked extreme and conservative policies; He did not have an independent ideological and political line, and although he was completely obedient to the old routines of the former president, he lacked the talents of the elder Roosevelt. As a result, every major decision made by the Taft government almost inevitably provokes heated quarrels.

In foreign policy, like Roosevelt Sr., Taft was ambitious and planned to expand American influence abroad. In Secretary of State Philand? With the help of Knox, he replaced the "bullet" with "gold dollars". This is "gold-dollar diplomacy". But sometimes it is also used alternately with gold dollars and bullets. Taft encouraged American bankers and entrepreneurs to invest abroad. The Government provides loans to entrepreneurs who build railways and start businesses abroad. These policies opened up markets for U.S. goods exports, and more importantly, the "golden dollar diplomacy" successfully deterred other countries from trying to get their hands on the Americas.

And now, in the face of the threat from the Chinese, he didn't have much idea, but he didn't know how to choose for a while.

"However, what we have to see is that if we intervene, there is a high probability that the current situation will lead to further stalemate, which is certainly not what we want to see!"

Perhaps Taft lacks political skill, or even some political sensitivity, but he can still see what the tough intervention of the United States will lead to.

"But, Mr. President, if we do not intervene, then the whole of America will henceforth be influenced by the Chinese - the influence of the United States will retreat back to the United States because of our concessions today, and perhaps the Chinese stick will be more submissive to the generals of South America than the American gold dollar!" Mr. President! ~”

Knox took another deep breath, then looked at the president.

"Right now, we don't have much of a choice! And I believe that if we can work with Britain to put pressure on China and give the Chinese a step, then they will undoubtedly face reality."

What kind of reality is that?

It is to recognize the absolute right of the United States to dispose of American affairs, which is what Knox wants, perhaps, in the confrontation in the Pacific, the United States is at a relative disadvantage, but if the United States can ensure that the Americas are not touched by China, then the United States will not be at a disadvantage in the Americas.

"Let's face it, when the time comes, I'm afraid the Chinese won't have many choices!"

Bringing Britain in, this is Knox's idea, and now is the time for the world to see how Britain, the United States and France will influence the world situation after the cooperation of the three countries.

"Yes, they will face reality, face the hostility of the United States towards them, Knox, what we have to see is that this will also make the Chinese feel humiliated!" And the movement of our fleet may also cause them to react violently in other ways! ”

"Mr. President, now the Chinese fleet is also being transferred, their Pacific Fleet is strengthening, in order to counter the threat from China, our fleet must be transferred to the Pacific Ocean, otherwise, the Chinese may destroy our fleet as easily as they defeated the Russians at any time!"

The Admiralty's answer made Taft fall silent again, and he walked silently, because his weight made his steps seem extremely heavy, and only he knew what he was thinking at this time - if he could, he didn't want to face all this at all, it was too difficult to make a choice!

What would Roosevelt do if he was there?

Again, he thought of the former president, who was also his friend, and imagined what he would do, and it was clear that he would never make any concessions!

"Will the British side act with us? Knox? (To be continued.) )