Bright sunlight shines through the green leaves, illuminating the entire room.

Theodore slowly stood up from the bed, stared at the wide world map on the wall, and said in a deep voice: "The Germans demanded that Britain withdraw from Egypt and hand over the Suez Canal to the Allies, which was tantamount to blocking the nearest Mediterranean shipping route from India, Malaysia, Australia and other Commonwealth colonies to the British mainland in wartime. Merchant ships carrying troops, supplies, raw materials, etc., would have to make a detour through the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and their efficiency would be greatly reduced from the start. And the Germans were much more than that, and they had set up a decisive force for the British convoys to swallow it up completely, wherever they had to pass! ”

Franklin followed Theodore's gaze and suddenly said, "Yes! After controlling the Suez Canal, the Austro-Hungarian and Italian fleets were able to break out of the Mediterranean Sea and directly into the Indian Ocean; And as soon as the fleets of these two powers appeared in the Indian Ocean, it would be a devastating blow to the shipping of the British Eastern colonies! Whether it was based in the Persian Gulf, which Berlin was currently demanding, or in German East Africa, where Zài already existed, British shipping in the Indian Ocean would be paralyzed by the appearance of this fleet. ”

"Looks like you're not quite stupid yet." Theodore snorted faintly, causing the other party's face to turn slightly red. He paused, and then said: "In addition, once the next Anglo-German war breaks out, India, the jewel in the crown of the British crown, will also face great danger of loss. With the Turks turning to Berlin and the railroad from Berlin to Baghdad being completed, German influence had penetrated far into the Middle East: in the event of war, 200 divisions of the Central Powers could be massed on the Mesopotamian plain in a very short time. and attacked eastward through Persia. India, which smashed Britain. Facing this group of iron horsemen who struck like a tsunami. Can the British Army, which uses this mantis arm as a car, still be able to stop it? ”

Franklin stood stunned, a fine bead of sweat already climbing up his forehead.

"Take a step back of 10,000 steps, even if Britain fully mobilizes the population of India and assembles an elite force that can compete with the German and Austrian armies in the field; But their vital maritime shipping will also face the fate of collapse. Germany had already occupied Morocco, an important stronghold in northwestern Africa, and was about to take over large swaths of French West Africa: even merchant ships from the eastern colonies of India and Australia chose to cross the Pacific Ocean eastward to Britain instead of the Indian Ocean shipping lanes. Then when passing through the Atlantic, it will inevitably be strongly blocked by the German navy. Guess that out of every 10 merchant ships, 3 can reach the UK safely? Theodore said as he stared into the glasses of young Franklin.

Franklin's face had completely calmed, and he shook his head when he heard the words: "I'm afraid I can't even have 3 ships." ”

Theodore sighed and said, "This is the key to Anglo-German relations. If post-war Germany is still the same Germany at the beginning of 1913, then Britain, which was humiliated in this war, will not hesitate to destroy this opponent in the next war. Today, however, Germany is invincible on land, and its overseas power has swelled dramatically with the defection of the Turks and the invasion of the French colonies. If Britain wanted to start a war against Germany again, the cost of war would be unimaginable! In fact, through guò this war. The British had already experienced the high cost and brutality of the war: nearly 300,000 young men had been killed, and more than half of the navy's capital ships had been sunk. Such a terrible price would itself set off a strong anti-war wave in Britain. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine in Britain that there will be any more voices of revenge in Britain in the years to come. ”

"Germany will now have the same ability to threaten the rule of the British Empire around the world, just like France once did; And due to the changes in the land situation and naval forces, the threat of Germany is even greater than that of France! Therefore, as long as the English monarchs still have half a minute of reason, they will never again have any kind of head-on confrontation with Germany; Although they have a painful unwillingness in their hearts, they can only choose to bow their heads in the face of the cruel reality. I expected that in a few years, Britain would be driven by fear and helplessness to form an alliance with Germany, and would truly choose to retreat from the front line, leaving the center of the world stage to the Germans. ”

Theodore looked at the figure of the Central European Empire on the map with a complicated expression, and there was a hint of bitterness in his words: "The Germans' choice to deal with Britain lightly in order to end the war is an unwise move that on the surface leaves a confidant for themselves, but in fact it is the most far-sighted and correct decision that they have made by seeing through the nature of the international game." In order to avoid too much internal friction between Europe, he did not hesitate to gently let go of Britain, the sinful offshore balancing hand; The ambitions of the Germans are global. ”

"Cousin, what are we going to do next?" It didn't take long for Franklin to recover from his shock and stupor, and he looked at Theodore with anticipation in his eyes.

Theodore took a deep breath and said, "The United States has the protection of two oceans, and Mexico and British Canada in the north and south are not worth mentioning, so the only way to ensure that we can resist the Prussian flood in the future is to build a naval fleet that can deter the powerful on both the east and west!" In fact, the reason why I supported you to run for the post of deputy secretary of the Navy in the first place was not just to give you a shortcut to the pinnacle of government: my administration of the Navy in those days must be inherited by someone so that the United States can have a truly sharp sword. ”

Looking at the young man standing respectfully in front of him, Theodore's eyes finally showed a look of satisfaction: "Judging from the past two years, you have fully adapted to the work of this position. Yes, your only mission is to do your best to fight the idiot congressmen who only have green dollars in their heads in their heads, and convince them to spend more money on building the Navy. Speaking of this, Theodore seemed to think of something, and the light in his eyes flashed: "I remember you told me half a month ago that the cabinet members have collectively agreed on a decision to expand the navy on a large scale to deal with the threats of Germany and Japan in the east and west. What about the current situation, and how did the guys in Congress react to this signal? ”

Franklin's expression was a little gloomy, and he said, "The situation is as we expected. As soon as the president's plan was presented to Congress, it caused waves like the moon crashing into the Pacific Ocean: the opposition accused the public of a violent reaction to such a massive military buildup in a short period of time, and the public could not understand the practical implications of the long-term plan. Now the House of Representatives is booing the Navy's expansion, and they angrily accuse the Navy of being a brazen camel that is crowding into taxpayers' tents little by little! Fortunately, the senators reacted calmly, and although they did not approve of the government's five-year naval expansion plan, they agreed to build two new battleships this year to meet the threat posed by Germany's return of two foreign trade battleships to Japan in the Pacific Ocean after the end of the European war. ”

"Has the State of the Union address been submitted, does Congress know that the Japanese will have 4 super-dreadnought battleships and 4 battlecruisers in two years?" Hearing Franklin's words, Theodore said in disbelief. Franklin nodded: "The General Council of the Navy has made a detailed report on the comparison of the naval strength of Germany, Britain, the United States, and Japan, but the Congress thinks that the Navy is alarmist and still stands still. The only good news is that in response to Japan's Kongo-class battle cruisers, the Diet has agreed to start construction of six battle cruisers this year and next. Perhaps for those lawmakers who don't know much about naval warships, the obscure term battlecruiser is far less impactful than battleships, even if the former is superior in tonnage and cost to the latter. ”

The corners of Theodore's mouth twitched slightly, like a funny look, and like a contemptuous ridicule; After a few moments, he finally spoke again, "Well done. Several previous naval duels between Britain and Germany have confirmed the huge role of fast capital ships in naval warfare; As long as these warships can be built, we will at least have the strength to confront the Japanese superiorly. However, our battleship strength needs to be expanded even more. At present, our battle line can only guarantee to overwhelm the Japanese Navy, and cannot pose a threat to the German fleet at all. ”

"But now that Congress just won't allocate more money to the Navy, what can we do?" Franklin spread his hands and said with worry and helplessness, "After the construction of those six battle cruisers begins, the Congress, which has woken up from the flickering, will surely tighten its money bags even more in the sound of gnashing its teeth and cursing at the navy." To be honest, it's unknown whether I'll be able to fight for the budget for 2 more battleships next year, as is customary! ”

Theodore burst into laughter. Under Franklin's astonished gaze, he slowly walked over to the map on the wall and poked at one of the areas: "The situation is different now. The Germans demanded that Britain cede Guinaya, whose tentacles were about to reach out to South America after the armistice, and this was the backyard of the United States! As long as we can steer public opinion on this issue, and make the most of the threat from Germany, I am confident that the Reichstag will no longer hold on to their wallets. Just raise this point with Daniels Jr. and do whatever you can with this trend. (To be continued......)

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