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The French fleet's four 'Paris-class' and nine 'Orleans-class' battleships faced dozens of U.S. Navy warships. Quantitatively, the French Navy was completely at a disadvantage. But in terms of quality, the old sail warships of the US Navy are not at all the match for the new steam warships of the French Navy. Although this was the first time that the French Navy had been put on the battlefield after being converted into a steam warship, the French Navy had already mastered the tactical essentials of the steam warship through exchanges with the Chinese Navy.

Taking advantage of the speed advantage, Vice Admiral Baraj ordered the French fleet to distance itself from the U.S. Navy as far as possible, attacking the U.S. Navy at a distance of 4,000 to 5,000 meters. Although, the United States has already mastered the skills of production of breech guns. However, the cannons they produced, first of all, were equipped with the army. As for the warships of the Navy, they still use old breech-loading guns. How could a breech-loading gun, with a maximum firing range of only two or three kilometers, be an opponent of the French fleet? In the continuous exchange of fire between the two sides, the warships of the US Navy were constantly hit.

The commander of the U.S. Navy, Admiral Grant, ordered the light warships to quickly approach the French fleet, in an attempt to entangle the French fleet and create conditions for the capital ships to approach the target. However, this plan was not able to succeed. Vice Admiral Balaj decisively ordered the fleet to speed up its retreat, taking advantage of the range and speed of the artillery, and constantly inflicting heavy casualties on the US Navy.

At 11:35 a.m., another French fleet arrived. Four 'Western Zhou-class' battleships and six 'Xia-class' cruisers, as well as three 'Orleans-class' cruisers, joined the battle. Reinforcements from the French Navy arrived. This puts the U.S. Navy in an even more disadvantageous position.

An hour later, the Spanish Navy's six 'Western Zhou-class' warships and 12 'Xia-class' cruisers were also belated. The navies of the two countries began to lay siege to the U.S. Navy. At this time, the Americans also realized. They've fallen into a trap. The French Navy and the Spanish Navy simply want to join forces to eat the US Navy in one bite!

With more and more ships lost, Admiral Grant saw no hope of victory, so he had to order a scattered breakout. However, because of the speed. The warships of the US Navy simply could not escape the pursuit of the French and Spanish navies. The warships of the U.S. Navy were either sunk or captured with serious injuries. In this naval battle. The U.S. Navy lost to the ground!

At 4 p.m., the naval battle came to an end. Of the 72 capital ships of the US Navy, most of them were sunk. The rest were also taken prisoner. Tens of thousands of US Navy, heavy losses. Although, after this war, the US Navy still had a small number of warships. But. This can no longer pose a threat to the navies of France and Spain. The gateway to the East Coast of the United States. Officially kicked away by the Kingdom of France and Spain.

After the destruction of the U.S. Navy, the French Navy and the Spanish Navy began to withdraw. Next, they had to escort the landings of the two countries' armies on the east coast of the United States, and that was the most important thing. After all, no matter how powerful the navy's warships are, they can't sail to the shore. If we want to defeat the United States, the key depends on the army. Before the departure of the navies of the two countries. Their army had already been assembled in the harbor. Among them, the Kingdom of Spain will send 200,000 troops to the United States. The first batch of 100,000 people has already been prepared. Because France is going to attack the most important northeastern region of the United States, the French government conservatively estimates that it will invest 300,000 to 400,000 troops this time. The first batch of 180,000 people has already been waiting in ports along the coast. Once the navy has won, it can sail across the Atlantic and land in the northeastern United States.

After the news of the US Navy fiasco reached Washington, the entire US Cabinet fell silent. There is no doubt that the French and Spanish navies have joined forces to attack the U.S. Navy, which is a precursor to the two countries sending troops to the United States. Now that the US Navy has been annihilated, there are no more obstacles to the landing of France and Spain in the United States.

"Your Excellency, the main force of the navy led by Admiral Grant was completely annihilated by the French and Spanish navies. Admiral Grant captured! In this naval battle, we lost 72 capital ships, which is already 80 percent of the main force of the US Navy. "U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Brown. Y. Mason's face was bruised. After the main force of the US Navy was annihilated, he, the Secretary of the Navy, became the commander of the light pole.

"Well, the boys are very brave, they are all warriors of the United States of America. When we defeat the enemy, we will rebuild the navy. When the time comes, we will build a world-class navy! "James. Knox. President Polk comforted.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" John. Minister Y. Mason nodded. Although, he knew, it was simply perfunctory.

"Your Excellency, the Navy has been defeated, and it is foreseeable that the strikes of France and Spain on the eastern part of the United States will begin soon, and we must prepare early!" Secretary of War William. L. Marcy said.

Now the US Army is making a mess on the West Coast. There are 300,000 troops left. The U.S. War Department had to send two batches of four hundred thousand reinforcements to the West Coast. The remaining strength of the US Army is less than 800,000. And of these 800,000 people, 500,000 are recruits who have just been recruited for a short time. In order to arm these people, arsenals across the United States have begun to work in three shifts. In addition, there are a series of arsenals under intense construction. Once it is put into production, the United States' armament production capacity will be raised to a new level. However, the precondition is that the United States can withstand the attack of a strong enemy. If it can't resist it, then the United States is doomed.

"Your Excellency, I believe that we should focus our defense on the East Coast. This is where we are fundamental, and if the East Coast is destroyed, the United States will be completely finished. The French and Spaniards are menacing, and we must concentrate all our forces against them! "Vice President George. M. Dallas built yì road.

Although the western region is vast, it is simply a barren land with no human population. Even if it is held, it will not be of much benefit to the United States in the short term. But if the East Coast is lost, the United States is in danger of annihilation!

James. Knox. President Polk nodded, and he saw the crisis as well. Originally, he thought that with the strength of the United States, he could withstand the attacks of the Chinese Empire, France, and the Kingdom of Spain, and even if he could not defeat his opponents, it would be no problem to maintain an invincible posture. However, who knows, the development of the battle situation was completely beyond his expectations. On the west coast, the U.S. Army was defeated by the Chinese Army, and in less than a month, it lost almost 300,000 people. Most of the entire part of California, the head fell into the hands of the Chinese* army. In the future, there will be more areas that will be attacked by the Chinese* army, and the situation is very critical. Now, the U.S. Navy has also been annihilated, and the entire East Coast is exposed to the two vicious bandits, France and the Kingdom of Spain, like a beautiful woman without clothes. If the East Coast is attacked, it will be an irreparable blow to the United States.

"Your Excellency Marcy, can our troops hold the East Coast?" President Polk asked. Because of the urgency of the form, his gaze also shifted from the west to the east.

"Your Excellency, the number of troops we can now travel east is only 300,000. Another 500,000 recruits are still undergoing emergency training. In addition, we cannot judge the landing point of the French and Spaniards. Therefore, the army can only be deployed in a few places in general. "William. L. Marcy said.

"Let the recruits speed up their training. Also, once again, recruit more troops! We need more troops to defend our country. President Polk said. Although, the total strength of the US Army has expanded from the initial 100,000 to 1.5 million. However, because of the too many losses, this little force still seems to be insufficient. It needs to be further expanded. Fortunately, the craze for young Americans to join the army has not subsided, and they can easily recruit enough soldiers.

During the American Civil War, the North recruited a total of 2.2 million troops, while the South also recruited 1 million troops. At that time, the total population of the United States was only 30 million. At present, the United States has more than 20 million troops, and it is not much of a problem to expand the army by 2 million as much as possible.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" William. L. Marcy's face was stern. Although it is possible to recruit enough soldiers, the U.S. Army is now facing a serious problem, that is, a shortage of officers. Especially low-ranking officers, it is very scarce. This has a direct impact on the combat effectiveness of the US Army.

"Your Excellency, contact the British again, we need more loans, more weapons and equipment. It would be so much better if they could send troops directly to help us! President Polk said.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I will be in touch with the British. However, given the current situation, it is unlikely that the British will be brought into the fight! "James. Buchanan said, shaking his head. The current situation is very unfavorable to the United States, and the British are not fools, what they are best at is to fall into the ground, and they will not involve themselves in the war at this time.

"Gentlemen, now that the United States has reached the most critical moment, we need to unite and do everything in our power to resist a strong enemy, only in this way can we achieve victory!" President Polk said firmly, now he is like Washington during the period of American independence! (To be continued......)