The moon is clear and the sky is full of stars. On the other side of the ocean, a modern city with high-rise buildings bathed in the vast night, romantic, gorgeous, and full of vitality.

As the capital of the United States of America, Washington City is not as prosperous and rich as New York, but its connotation and heritage revealed from its bones are unique and indulgent. In the middle of the night, some old buildings with a long history are still brightly lit, as if a never-ending machine, under the injection of power, orderly operation. Neon-lit advertising plates, glowing nightclubs, passing cars, and crowds...... The vibrancy of the night alone is enough to put all the cities of Europe to shame, even London, Paris and Berlin.

In the spacious office, animal skin blankets are spread horizontally, and long cabinets on either side are lined with thick books. A tall figure sat on a bench behind a square table, his silhouette reflected in the crackling fire of the fireplace. He is not old, on the contrary, he has a youthful vitality; Under the single-frame silk thread lenses, there is a slightly chubby face full of personality, even if he is placed in the crowd, he is still so outstanding. The gray eyes were radiant, and when the gaze flowed, a cold and stern, shrewd and capable meaning came to his face.

Theodore Roosevelt graduated from Harvard University in 1880 and entered the New York State House of Commons in 1881 to begin his illustrious political career. Roosevelt was fascinated by the history of the Navy and naval warfare from an early age, and his book, Naval Battles in the War of 1812, became a textbook for two generations. Roosevelt became acquainted with U.S. Navy Captain Mahan in 1880, who published in 1890 "The Influence of Sea Power on History 1660-1783" to study the relationship between sea power and the rise and fall of great powers. In 1897, at the age of 39, Roosevelt was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Navy by President William McKinley because of his steady and wise understanding. The then Secretary of the Navy, John Long, had long been ill and neglected political affairs, and President McKinley was not interested in the Navy, so Roosevelt was able to monopolize power and show his talents. As soon as he took office, he set his sights on Spain, which was among the European powers, intending to pinch all the benefits that the United States needed from this soft persimmon, including Cuba, which was close at hand, and the Philippines, which was far away across the ocean. During the nearly one year he was in power, the U.S. Navy conducted a large number of field visits to these two places and made full preparations for war with Spain.

The cold wind was bitter, and he stuck to his post alone in the middle of this winter night, Rao was in the prime of life, and he was still a little tired and sleepy, and he couldn't do anything. He slowly stood up, moved his stiff joints, and then removed the coffee that had been brewed next to the fireplace. A refreshing mellow aroma bloomed in his throat, causing Roosevelt's eyes to narrow slightly, and he couldn't help but let out a pleasant sigh.

Footsteps tapped, from far to near, and after a short time, the hidden door made a soft knocking sound. Roosevelt's ears moved, and a look of surprise appeared on his solemn face. He said yes to enter, and then saw a familiar middle-aged figure hurrying in, and because of his hurried steps, the visitor also kicked the coffee table in the center.

"Oh my God, Keregie, you guy, are showing up in my office at this time?" After seeing the faces of the visitors, Roosevelt was shocked and couldn't help asking, "Aren't you supposed to be having fun in a bar now, is something going on?" ”

The middle-aged man called Kereji had a faint sweat on his forehead, and seemed to have run a long distance; He adjusted his breathing and spoke in a hurried voice: "Mr. Theodore, three hours ago, the ironclad ship 'Maine' exploded. ”

"What do you say? The Maine exploded? Roosevelt's originally calm and breezy face changed instantly, and there was no longer the calmness and calmness in his eyes. With a solemn face, Kereji took out a page of paper from the briefcase he was carrying and handed it to Roosevelt, and said in a low voice: "I don't know much about the specific situation, but I only know that the Maine suddenly exploded in the port of Havana, and it sank in just half an hour. All the process experience is on this report. Roosevelt took the report and looked at it only twice, and the small eyes immediately narrowed into a slit, and a strange light quietly flashed from them.

On the night of February 15, 1898, the USS Maine, an American ironclad anchored in the port of Havana, Cuba, suddenly exploded. The force of the explosion was so great that the 6,682-ton ironclad ship, completed in 1895, was blown off almost one-third of its front hull, and the rest of the wreckage quickly sank to the bottom of the sea. 266 people were killed in the accident, the vast majority of whom were US officers and soldiers. Havana belonged to the Spanish colony, and the American warship would not have appeared in this sea area, just because the Cuban rebels were fighting a bloody battle with the Spanish colonists, and the local situation was chaotic; In order to protect the personal safety of American nationals, the Admiralty signed an edict to send warships under the direction of the government. What Roosevelt didn't expect was that the battleship sent to protect the American expatriates had a big explosion so inexplicably; Not to mention the sinking of the battleship, two-thirds of the officers and men on the ship died!

Roosevelt took a deep breath, his heart stirring, and it was difficult to calm down for a long time. But he wasn't just shocked by the sinking of an ironclad ship and the death of hundreds of people, he thought of something else.

Since he took the helm of the Navy, the United States has quietly aimed its strategic spearhead at Spain, although Roosevelt himself had a brilliant vision and could clearly understand the importance of overseas colonies to the United States; But the domestic public does not have such a lofty idea as his, and there has always been a lack of interest in overseas expansion. In order to make the domestic people and congressmen look overseas, Roosevelt has made many efforts in the past year; But in the end, it only created a little atmosphere in a few places, but it did not change the overall pattern. And this time, the "Maine" exploded and sank in the port of Havana, but it gave him an excellent opportunity to play! As long as he embellishes this slightly, then the angry American people will not forgive the murderer of Spain!

"Craigie, what was the result of the explosion of the Maine, and is there any conclusion now?" Roosevelt tried to suppress the excitement in his heart, then moved his gaze from the report to the face of the man in front of him, and asked.

Kereji shook his head: "The tragedy of the Maine has just happened less than 4 hours, and the detailed details of the explosion have not yet arrived. However, according to the information sent back by the second officer on the shore, the explosion did not produce heavy black smoke at the beginning, considering that the coal bunker of the Maine has not been cleared for a long time, which may have been caused by spontaneous combustion of coal. ”

Roosevelt's face changed, and then he said categorically: "This is absolutely impossible!" Every warship in the United States has strict safety regulations, so how can there be such a thing as spontaneous combustion of coal? The Maine exploded in the port of Havana, and the Spaniards absolutely have nothing to do with it! It is necessary to find out the sinful deeds of the Spaniards, and to expose their ugliness and darkness to the light; We will make the Spaniards pay the price of blood as a consolation to the more than 200 officers and soldiers of the United States in heaven! ”

Hearing Roosevelt say this, Corregi's brows gradually furrowed, and a look of doubt flashed in his eyes. Although Roosevelt's words seemed reasonable, Craigie, as a veteran who had worked in the Admiralty for many years, still saw something strange at a glance. Now the Cuban natives are rebelling against Spanish colonial rule and have pinned down the Spanish army of 200,000 people; Even if Spain is 10,000 reluctant to "visit" the American Maine, they are still too busy to take care of themselves, how can they attack the Maine at this time and add to the United States, a strong enemy? You must know that even if there is no such thing as Cuba, Spain cannot be the opponent of the United States!

He turned his eyes to Theodore Roosevelt next to him, only to find that the fat man was also looking at him with blazing eyes. was watched by this plain and divine gaze, combined with the usual ideas and actions of this guy; Kereji's heart suddenly moved, and he immediately understood all the reasons. He smiled at the actual ruler of the navy in front of him, who was a few years younger than him, and suddenly said, "You are right, Mr. Theodore. The poor second mate of the Maine must have been so frightened by the explosion that he went insane and made this unrealistic judgment. We should take him back to China and let him recuperate for a while. As for the Spaniards, we must accuse them of their sinful deeds and make them confess to God at the cost of blood. ”

Intentionally or unintentionally, Corregius accentuated the key words "Spaniards" and "the price of blood", and the "finding" in Roosevelt's original words was also turned into an "accusation" by him. After listening to his assistant's words, Roosevelt's face did not change, but his eyes showed a look of satisfaction and approval, and he said: "The explosion of the USS Maine in the port of Havana, Cuba, and the death of hundreds of officers and soldiers of the United States are a tragedy unseen in a hundred years since the founding of the United States; As the acting Minister of the Navy, I should seek justice from the Spanish murderer and restore justice! Tomorrow morning, I will hold a press conference at the Admiralty Department to strongly condemn the spaniardy of the Spaniards, and inform the great newspapers and media that they must report the tragedy of the whole nation and the shameless brutality of the Spanish murderers as soon as possible, so that all the American people will realize the despicable face of the Spaniards! ”

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Kereji nodded.

After a while, Roosevelt still looked straight at himself with that bland gaze, without saying a word; Kereji's eyes flickered, and he fell on the report in the last place, and his heart suddenly changed, and then he spoke: "The speculation made by the second mate of the Maine is currently known only to a few members of the Admiralty; Seriously, this speculation is so ridiculous that they will definitely not believe it. I promise. ”

As soon as these words came out, Roosevelt's gaze that seemed like substance suddenly dissipated, and his usual expression was completely restored. He nodded slightly and said, "Kereji, you go." After dawn, I just want to hear one voice. ”